Peace Corps stint stimulates New Kent poet’s creativity

A two-year Peace Corps assignment in Jamaica enabled New Kent County resident Mike Henrich to not only help his fellow man but also stimulate his creativity in the realm of poetry. People and places in the Caribbean island nation are the subjects of a collaborative book effort matching the retired New Kent High School teacher’s poetry with photographs taken by a fellow Peace Corps volunteer.

“Wood and Water” is an 80-page collection of Henrich poems and accompanying photos snapped by William Pace, a graduate student from the Baltimore, Md. area. But don’t look for their work in bookstores. The book can be found at blurb.com, an Internet-only publishing company that is rapidly catching on as an outlet for young writers and those seeking to avoid hassles often encountered when dealing with traditional publishers.

Potential customers can visit the site, type in the “Wood and Water” title, and view previews of the work. Those interested can buy on-line. “Wood and Water” is available in hard ($35) or soft ($19.95) cover. Delivery takes about three days.

Back in 2006 when Henrich and his wife, Helen, set out on their second Peace Corps stint (they were in the Philippines in the 1970s), publishing poetry did not enter into the picture. Henrich took on the task of teaching reading in a Jamaican high school while his wife worked at a remediation center.

“But word got out that I was writing some poetry,” Henrich said, adding he penned close to 50 poems while on the island.

Word attracted the attention of Pace, who along with the Henrichs was among about 50 volunteers on the Jamaican venture.

“We had met on the way down there,” Henrich said. “Near the end of the tour, he invited me informally and asked if I’d be interested in doing a book. I wasn’t getting much feedback from other publishers, so I said okay.”

After they returned to the states in August 2008, Pace did most of the legwork through bookmaking software found at blurb.com.

“He would compile it and send it back to me,” Henrich said. “I would then edit and revise it.”

Thirty-five of Henrich’s poems made the final cut.

“It’s all about Jamaica, everyday life, and the people,” he said concerning the finished product. “I might walk through town one day and see an individual or something else. I would then keep that image in mind and later write about it.

“There were so many images and things that were new to me, so it made it easier to write poetry,” he said. “There are poems in the book about remarkable places, beaches, mountains, and jungles, and some are about experiences with the people there.”

Henrich and Pace own copyrights on the poetry and photos in “Wood and Water.” The publisher, blurb.com, holds format rights.

The partners, however, are not out to make money from their excursion into the publishing world.

“We weren’t really thinking about marketing so much,” he said. “We were thinking of this being kind of a keepsake for family and friends.”

But if anyone is interested in buying the work, it’s out there.