UNITED STATES
Broadway World
In an effort to provide awareness and understanding of the effects of sexual abuse on children and to encourage preventative and protective actions, distinguished American poet Norbert Krapf today revealed in his 26th book published today that he was sexually abused as a child by a priest in his hometown of Jasper, IN during the 1950’s. The book is titled Catholic Boy Blues: A Poet’s Journal of Healing.
Krapf, 70, who resides in Indianapolis, IN, is a former Pulitzer Prize nominee for poetry (2002), Indiana Poet Laureate (2008-2010) and was a Professor of English at the C.W. Post Campus of Long Island University (1970-2004) where he was its Poet Laureate (2003-2007). Among his many awards, he was honored with the Lucille Medwick Memorial Award from the Poetry Society of America and was twice a Fulbright Professor of American Poetry.
Written in verse, Catholic Boy Blues is being released on April 3 to coincide with the dual April observances of National Child Abuse Prevention Month and the National Poetry Month. The book chronicles his abuse by a priest in his hometown and the lifelong effects it had on him, his family and loved ones. Krapf wrote the book in four voices: the boy he was, the man he became, the priest, and Mr. Blues, a mythic and choric counselor and mentor.
Commenting on his motivation for writing the book, Krapf remarked: “In a sense, I wrote the poems to heal myself, and by publishing them to also seek to help heal others. As a poet, I had an obligation to do that, help others heal, show others it could be done, even though it might not be easy. Just as individuals need to heal, so do communities. That includes the community where I was raised, the Community of Saints, the Catholic Church – and the community of all human beings.”
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