Sycamore and Other Poems

About the Book

“Sycamore” is a series of thirty not-exactly-blank-verse sketches about the people, places, and events in a small Ohio town in the 1950’s. There are the editor of the local weekly, the town ne’er-do-well, and the “perfect” twins; the paw-paw grove, the willow-hung creek, and the sun-blasted hayfield; main street’s root beer stand, pool hall, and hardware and variety stores; the pest-hunt, the church social, the high school basketball game, and the free show. Among the “other” poems in the volume are Christmas Exchange, a ballad drawn from the same time and place, several supernatural tales, and lyrics in various modes.

About the Author

Randall Mawer grew up in Sycamore, Ohio, and studied at Wilmington (Ohio) College, Miami of Ohio, and the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches English at the United States House of Representatives Page School in Washington, D.C.