“Jim Daniels’ poetry explores not only the realities of a blue collar, late 20th Century, upper Midwest childhood, but the entirety of America’s sociocultural whirlwind throughout these last six decades. Few writers believe more deeply in poetry’s capacity to document the world, and documentation, in his hands, is a form of homage.”
Campbell McGrath, author of XX: Poems for the Twentieth Century
In poems selected from his long career, Jim Daniels often focuses on Rust Belt cities, where issues of class and race and justice play out in the streets and kitchens and backyards and garages of the Americans trying to live and make a living there. Known for his courage, clarity, and accessibility, Daniels examines the tension between our idealized country and the messier cultural and economic divides, often focusing on those who can’t afford or have access to “magic.”
In addition to his new book, Late Invocation for Magic: New and Selected Poems, Jim Daniels has authored many other books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. A recipient of fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, he read his poetry on Garrison Keillor’s “Prairie Home Companion,” and his poems were featured on Keillor’s “Writer’s Almanac.” Poet laureates Billy Collins, Ted Kooser, and Tracy K. Smith all showcased his writing as part of their work to bring poetry to average Americans. He lives in Pittsburgh and teaches in the Alma College MFA Program.
Books
Copies of Late Invocation for Magic are available for pre-order from White Whale Bookstore.
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Thursday, January 22, 2026 at 7 p.m.
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