THE GOVERNMENT LAKE — JAMES TATE

Books before they went out into the world, North Amherst, Massachusetts

On July 2, 2019, James Tate’s posthumous collection THE GOVERNMENT LAKE was released—and friends, poets, artists, and fans from all over celebrated. Below is a sampling of what occurred, featuring:

Lena Abraham; Ralph Angel; Kaveh Akbar; Amherst Books; Antidote Books, Geoffrey Babbitt; Angela Ball; Colleen Louise Barry; Mira Bartok; David Bartone; Bryan Beck; Jamie Berger; Frank Bergon; Holly Bergon; David Berman; Emma Binder; Luke Bloomfield; Laure-Anne Bosselaar; Ana Božičević; Hank Brakeley; Bram; Catherine Bresner; Heidi Broadhead; Hannah Brooks-Motl; Lee Ann Brown; Rebecca Brown; Michael Burkard; Rick Bursky; Liz Byrne; Jason Camlot; John Chae; Dan Chelotti; Chris; Stella Corso; Christy Crutchfield; Cicada Books; Thea Cohen; CAConrad; Kathryn Cowles; Walter Craven; Douglas Culhane; Christina Davis; Tom Devaney; Jose Hernandez Diaz; Paul Dickinson; S. Preston Duncan; Corwin Ericson; Kelly Everding; Nicole Faulkner; David Feinstein; Wendy Feuer; Jessica Fjeld; Brian Foley; Lindsey Gorton; Jorie Graham; Cathryn Hankla; Lesley Hazelton; Steve Healey; Henry; Brian Henry; Nat Herold; Robin Holcomb; Hawley Hussey; Isidor; Richard Jackson; Justin Jamail; Oscar Jamail; Julia Johnson; Katie Johnston; Claudia Keelan; Eric Keenaghan; David Kermani; Jake Klar; Jim Knisley; Virginia Konchan; Sheila Kyger; Charles LaPorte; Katy Lederer; Jeffrey Lependorf; Lesle Lewis; Paige Lewis; Kate Lindroos; Eric Lorberer; Nick Maione; Edward Mayes; Andy McAlpine; Greg McCarthy; Frances McCue; Ted McMahon; Michael Medeiros; Alexander Moysaenko; Laura Mullen; Gene Myers; Mystery Couple; David Nagler; Daniel Nester; Melanie Noel; Charles North; Timothy O’Connor; Odette; Outlet; Robert Pinsky; Doug Plavin; Prairie Lights Books; Nellie Prior; Next Barn Over Farm; Sina Queyras; Liana Quill; Brynne Rebele-Henry; Resonance Café; Don Revell; Jon Riccio; Eugene Richie; Michael Robins; Ruth Antoinette Rodriguez; Michael Rohrer; Amber Rubarth; Mary Ruefle; The Ruth Stone House; Greg Santos; Matthew Schmidt; Zachary Schomburg; John Sieracki; Nancy Sisko: Jeremy Sowell; Sampson Starkweather; Bianca Stone; Art Stringer; Sonia Sumner; Paige Taggart; Kevin Thomason; Rodrigo Toscano; Jono Tosch; Lee Upton; Val; John Emil Vincent; Nanette Vonnegut; Diane Wald; William Waltz; Mike Wall; Chris Ward; Rosanne Wasserman; Jerry Wemple; Arisa White; Mark Wunderlich; Matthew Zapruder; Theodora Ziolkowski

A film by Chris Ward, featuring, in order of appearance, Bryan Beck, Arisa White, Jono Tosch, Jerry Wemple, CAConrad, John Sieracki, Corwin Ericson, Edward Mayes

Nat Herold, Amherst Books, Massachusetts

Ruth Antoinette Rodriguez and Jeremy Sowell, Antidote Books, Putney, Vermont

David Bartone, Easthampton, Massachusetts

Courtesy of David Bartone, Easthampton, Massachusetts

Mike Wall and Val, Easthampton, Massachusetts, Courtesy of David Bartone

Bram, Easthampton, Massachusetts, Courtesy of David Bartone

Christy Crutchfield, Easthampton, Massachusetts, Courtesy of David Bartone

Mike wall, Easthampton, Massachusetts, courtesy of David Bartone

Liz Byrne, Easthampton, Massachusetts, Courtesy of David Bartone

Jono Tosch and Luke Bloomfield at Beneski Museum of Natural History, Amherst College, Massachusetts

Ana Božičević in Brandon, Vermont, photo by Sampson Starkweather

Catherine Bresner, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle

Heidi Broadhead, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, photo by Catherine Bresner

Walker Craven at LitFest in Pasadena, courtesy Bruce Craven

Jose Hernandez Diaz, Norwalk Library, Los Angeles County

Nicole Faulkner, Cicada Books, Huntington, West Virginia

Lee Ann Brown and Tom Devaney, Brooklyn, courtesy of Katy Lederer

Jamie Berger, Brooklyn, courtesy of Katy Lederer

A Minnesota contingent of former students of James Tate at UMass Amherst gathered between thunderstorms to read from and discuss The Government Lake over gin and tonics. Each participant read a poem from the book and raised a topic for dis… — A Minnesota contingent of former students of James Tate at UMass Amherst gathered between thunderstorms to read from and discuss *The Government Lake* over gin and tonics. Each participant read a poem from the book and raised a topic for discussion, including animals, accountants, suburbia, the 1950s, absent fathers, workplace drama, poem endings, sentence-based life forms, love, art, and death. Pictured here are Kelly Everding, Paul Dickinson, Steve Healey, and William Waltz; behind the camera is Eric Lorberer. (Fun fact: James Tate enjoyed a sunny afternoon at this same table during his last visit to Minneapolis when he read poems from the Rain Taxi-published chapbook *The Zoo Club* in 2011; video of that reading is available here.)

Jim Knisley, Charles LaPorte, Nancy Sisko, Robin Holcomb, not pictured but in attendance: Ted McMahon, Rebecca Brown, Lesley Hazelton, Wendy Feuer, courtesy of Frances McCue in Seattle.

Michael Medeiros in Northampton, Massachusetts

Alexander Moysaenko, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, photo by Catherine Bresner

Melanie Noel, Olympic Sculpture Park, Seattle, photo by Catherine Bresner

Nanette Vonnegut, Dara Wier, Mira Bartok, Doug Plavin, Jake Klar, Nellie Prior, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, Lena Abraham, Hank Brakeley, Mystery Pair, Nick Maione, Andy McAlpine, John Sieracki, Chris, Hannah Brooks-Motl, courtes… — Nanette Vonnegut, Dara Wier, Mira Bartok, Doug Plavin, Jake Klar, Nellie Prior, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, Lena Abraham, Hank Brakeley, Mystery Pair, Nick Maione, Andy McAlpine, John Sieracki, Chris, Hannah Brooks-Motl, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Jake Klar, Mira Bartok, Dara Wier, Doug Plavin, Nellie Prior, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Nellie Prior, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Doug Plavin, Nellie Prior, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Dara Wier, Nellie Prior, Doug Plavin, Mira Bartok, Nanette Vonnegut, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, Jake Klar, Hank Brakeley, Mystery Couple, Lena Abraham, Chris, Hannah Brooks-Motl, Nick Maione, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over… — Dara Wier, Nellie Prior, Doug Plavin, Mira Bartok, Nanette Vonnegut, Greg McCarthy, Emma Binder, Katie Johnston, Jake Klar, Hank Brakeley, Mystery Couple, Lena Abraham, Chris, Hannah Brooks-Motl, Nick Maione, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Hank Brakeley, Mystery Couple, courtesy of Nellie Prior, Next Barn Over Farm, Cemetery Road, Hadley, Massachusetts, photo by Thea Cohen

Kaveh Akbar, photo by Greg Santos, Resonance Café, Montreal

Virginia Konchan, Resonance Café, Montreal

Paige Lewis, photo by Greg Santos, Resonance Café, Montreal

Jason Camlot, photo by Greg Santos, Resonance Café, Montreal

Sina Queyras, photo by Greg Santos, Resonance Café, Montreal

John Emil Vincent, photo by Greg Santos, Resonance Café, Montreal

“By the light of my nightstand,” Michael Robins

Broadside by Zachary Schomburg, Outlet, Portland

Bianca Stone & Odette at The Ruth Stone House, Vermont

Bianca Stone at The Ruth Stone House, Vermont

Art Stringer, Cicada Books, Huntington, West Virginia

Paige Taggart at The Ruth Stone House, Vermont, photo by Sampson Starkweather

Rodrigo Toscano reads THE DEVIL

Theodora Ziolkowski in Easton, Pennsylvania, photo by Lee Upton

*Did you take this photo? governmentlake@gmail.com*