Noted author and lecturer on Abraham Lincoln, Dan Guillory of Findlay, has recently released the audio version of his book of poetry The Lincoln Poems.

“We are talking about an audio book with a three CDs version of my book The Lincoln Poems which came out in April 2008,” said Guillory.

The Lincoln Poems is a collection of 61 poems as told in the imagined voice of Lincoln himself. Each poem is preceded by a brief statement providing the historical and cultural context of the poem.

The price of the audio book is $19.95 plus tax and shipping. The book may be ordered through the publisher which is Mayhaven Publishing, Inc., Mahomet, IL 61853. Mayhaven’s toll-free phone number is 866-586-4493 and their e-mail is www,mayhavenpublishing.com. You may also call (217) 756-3285 for more information or to place an order.

Dan Guillory grew up in the bayou country of southern Louisiana in a bilingual (French-English) family. He attended Tulane University in New Orleans, where he received a Ph.D. in 1972 in modern American poetry. He then taught at Millikin University in Decatur from 1972 to 2004, where he took an early retirement to devote himself full-time to writing and lecturing. He was appointed Professor of English Emeritus in 2004.

Dr. Guillory has won awards or grants from the Illinois Humanities Council, the Illinois Arts Council, the Academy of American Poets, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the America Library Association. Guillory also served as a Fullbright Professor in West Africa from 1989 to 1990, on behalf of the U. S. Department of State.

Professor Guillory has published hundreds of articles and book reviews, as well as chapters or sections in several books. He is the author of seven books and this audiobook, beginning with Living With Lincoln: Life and Art in the Heartland (1989) and ending with The Lincoln Poems (2008). His newest book, People and Places in the Land of Lincoln, is scheduled to be released in the fall of 2009. This book will be a cultural guide for tourists of the Lincoln sites in Central Illinois. It is approximately 250 pages long and will contain about 20 photographs. There is a substantial chapter on Shelbyville.

This book The Lincoln Poems was one of only twenty-one Lincoln books chosen from across the nation for presentation at the National Lincoln Bicentennial Celebration on February 12, 2009 in Springfield. The book was also favorably reviewed in Library Journal. He has read his poetry at many colleges, museums, and libraries throughout Illinois.

In the fall of 2009, Dr. Guillory will be reading at Knox College, Wheaton College, Elgin College, and Southeast Missouri State University at Cape Girardeau.

All proceeds from the sale of his book, The Lincoln Poems, were donated to the Shelby County Lincoln Heritage Foundation (SCLH).

Guillory has been very active in the SCLH. He served on the Board of Directors of SCLH and he was chairman of the Plaque Committee, which created the two plaques for the Lincoln-Thornton Debate and for Sculptor John McClarey. He also edited all of the “Looking for Lincoln” wayside Exhibits installed in Shelbyville. He was unable to attend the dedication of the Lincoln-Thornton statues on August 9 because he was invited to sell his books at the Lincoln area of the Decatur Celebration.

Whitney “Whit” Hardy the president of SCLH said that organization appreciated all that Guillory did for their effort.

“We feel he (Guillory) was quite influential in our cause, he participated in our reenactments and our History in Stone projects and served on our Board of Directors,” said Hardy.

Guillory reads the poems on the audio book himself. He said he thought he would have to just sit down in front of a microphone and read the book. Then he found out it was not that simple.

“The first thing you find out is you are in a studio with microphones like screen like disc right next to your face, one on each cheek and they record your voice beautifully, but if you have a sniffle it picks that up,” said Guillory. “In fact when you turn the pages it sounds like thunder. But, they edit all that out.”