Dive deeper into the universe of Anis Mojgani with this carefully curated constellation of verses, spanning six transformative years of stage-whispered secrets and thunderous performances. Songs from Under the River weaves together the familiar heartbeats of beloved poems with undiscovered treasures - those quiet gems that have waited in the wings, those personal favorites that echo in empty theaters after the crowds have gone home. Born from the rich soil of New Orleans and nurtured by stages across America, this collection reveals new facets of Mojgani's kaleidoscopic vision. Here, the ordinary transforms into the extraordinary - street corners become temples, everyday moments crystallize into eternity, and the surreal dances with the deeply human. For those who already walk in Mojgani's poetic landscapes, this collection offers both homecoming and expedition - familiar paths leading to unexplored territories, where even the known poems reveal new secrets in their carefully chosen placement. This is more than a "best-of" - it's a map of the heart's wild geographies, drawn by one of contemporary poetry's most distinctive voices. "Anis Mojgani is a gale force talent, a talent dervish of lyrics and the body's music, a poet who gleefully spurns the boundaries of poet...filling us with that inimitable voice when and wherever we need."—Patricia Smith, Blood Dazzler   Anis Mojgani was the current Poet Laureate of Oregon. A two-time individual champion of the National Poetry Slam and winner of the International World Cup Poetry Slam, he has been awarded residencies from the Vermont Studio Center, Caldera, AIR Serenbe, The Bloedel Nature Reserve, The Sou'wester, and the Oregon Literary Arts Writers-In-The-Schools program. A recipient of an Academy of American Poets Poet Laureate Fellowship, Anis has done commissions for the Getty Museum and the Peabody Essex Museum; and his work has appeared on HBO, National Public Radio, and as part of the Academy of American Poets Poem-A-Day series. His work has appeared in the pages of the NYTimes, Rattle, Platypus, Winter Tangerine, Forklift Ohio, and Bat City Review.Known for his performances and well regarded for them the world over, Anis has performed at hundreds of universities across the U.S.; festivals around the globe such as the Sydney Writers Festival, Jamaica's Calabash festival, and Seoul's Young Writers Festival; and for audiences as varied as the United Nations and the House of Blues. The author of six books of poetry and the opera libretto for Sanctuaries, his first children's book is forthcoming from Holiday House/Neal Porter Books. His latest poetry collection is, The Tigers They Let Me. Originally from New Orleans, Anis currently lives in Portland Oregon. , "Shake the Dust" "This is for the fat girls This is for the little brothers For the former prom queen And for the milk crate ball players This is for the school yard wimps And the childhood bullies that tormented them Shake the dust. This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them. This is for the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns And for the men who have to hold down 3 jobs, Simply to hold up their children. For the nighttime schoolers And for the midnight bike riders trying to fly Shake the dust. For the two year olds who cannot be understood because they speak half English and half god Shake the dust For the girl whose brother is going crazy For the gym class wall flower And for the 12 year olds that are afraid of taking public showers For the kid who's always late to class because he forgets the combination to his locker For the girl who loves somebody else Shake the dust."