After years of waiting, English professor Joseph Heithaus finally accomplished one of the greatest feats a poetry author can be faced with — publishing a book.
The book, entitled "Poison Sonnets," is a collection of sonnets that Heithaus has been accumulating over the past decade. This Thursday, he will be reading a number of these poems at the Putnam County Public Library. Interestingly enough, the inspiration for the book came from an assignment he gave a student.
"Many years ago, I told a student that he needed to write a series of sonnets," Heithaus said. "When he walked out the door I realized that I hadn't written a series of sonnets myself. I turned to a page in an old dictionary in my office that had pictures of poison plants, so I began to write poems about those poison plants."
Though the inspiration — and title — of the book suggest otherwise, the sonnets vary wildly through topics. Some do directly link to poison plants, others use them as backdrops for a larger story. Some are deeply saddening, while others exude a dark humor. Despite the wide spectrum, the poems are still intricately linked.
"The poems are all connected," Heithaus said. "It's kind of weird how they work. But that's the beauty of poetry…anything that is in the air at the time can seep into your writing. You're feeling in the dark until you stumble upon something."
Although "Poison Sonnets" is Heithaus' first book to have published, he is still an accomplished author. What he describes as "weird claims to fame," Heithaus is among the few "Air Poets" — poets with their work appearing in the Indianapolis International Airport and has a poem printed on the side of a barn in Putnam County.
Heithaus has been an English professor at DePauw for the past 16 years. A few of his students, seniors Chris Collins and Connor Willett, described him as both smooth and understanding.
"He's very understanding," Collins said. "He is the reason why I'm an English Writing major. All I want to do is write and that is a testament to him."
Willett concurred with Collins's descriptions of Heithaus.
"He's a lot of fun to listen to," Willett said. "Even if he was reading off his grocery list to you, it would still be pretty."
They both agreed that they were thrilled to see Heithaus have his book published.
Before "Poison Sonnets" was published, Heithaus found success in other areas. He was asked to write a poem for President Casey's inauguration, an experience he described as humbling. He also had the honor of writing a poem for Roy O. West's 100th birthday, which is still in the library today.
Heithaus also struggled with discovering what publishers exactly wanted in a book.
"For the longest time, I just sent poems out to contests and they would be the semi-finalists or finalists," Heithaus said. "This is a very frustrating thing to tell people. When they would ask if I had a book, I would have to respond that I almost did. I kept trying different angles after coming in second — trying to figure out what the hell I should do — to see what could be done differently. So finally, a year ago last fall, I decided that I would make a book of sonnets. For a short, very intense period of time, I wrote maybe 15 to 20 sonnets to fill in between the ones I already had."
Those poems that he already had written were quite successful on their own.
In 2002, four of his poems were published in "Poetry Magazine," which he equates to a journalist having the opportunity to appear in "The New York Times."
In 2007, he sent ten of his poems for the Discovery/The Nation Prize. These poems would go on to be the foundation for "Poison Sonnets" and gained him this prestigious award he won along with three other poets. After winning this, he was published in "The Nation" and invited to read at the 92nd Street Y, a cultural institution and community center located in New York.
"Even though I didn't have a book, I was luckily and amazingly recognized by DePauw and the community," Heithaus said. But when he found out that his book was getting published, he described it as "such as a relief."
Heithaus learned that "Poison Sonnets" would be published last year on St. Patrick's Day while on vacation with his family.
"We were at Ghost Ranch, which is kind of out in the middle of nowhere so computer access was limited," Heithaus said. "But I got on one of their computers and there was an email. My whole family was there with me, my wife and kids were sitting in the room trying to check their emails, and then I got the news. And so, we immediately celebrated."
However, having his book published is not a destination. Heithaus will continue writing poems and has hopes that he can publish another book within the next couple years.
He will be reading various poems from Poison Sonnets at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 23, at the Putnam County Public Library. He will be reading both poems from his book as well as others that he feels connect to the community.
"I always wrote poems with the hope someday I would be able to read them publicly," Heithaus said. "Having my book published is the end — or hopefully the beginning — of a different journey."