Tatnuck Bookseller to host poetry book signing
By Mary Shane Contributing Writer

Poet Ray Berube and "A Poetic Voice" PHOTO/MARY SHANE

Westborough - When Westborough resident Ray Berube was a boy, he would write scripts with his friends for fun. He began writing short fiction in junior high and continued writing through high school and college.

His first published book, "A Poetic Voice," is a collection of poems written over the past 40 years. Berube's son, Charles, is the reason for the volume.

"I wanted him to have a legacy," Berube said. "He's very much my muse, my hope and my joy, so I dedi- cated this volume to him."

As a local poet, Berube has been invited to appear at a book signing of "A Poetic Voice" at Tatnuck Booksellers Saturday Dec. 8 from 1 to 3 p.m.

Berube will begin and end the event with a reading.

"Just reading a poem, you lose the connection to the writer," Berube said. "Sure you can analyze. [But] when the author reads it, there's more an immediacy, more of a connection to the author."

Berube was born in Fall River and has a degree in English literature and theatrical studies from UMass-Dartmouth. He won a first-place award from the Fall River Arts Council for the poem "Quebecois - Pepare et Memare," which is included in the book, and the Massachusetts Heritage State Park's "Poetry Readings are Civilized Events." He also won an award from the Massachusetts Council of the Arts and an Editors' Choice Award from the International Poets Society.

Berube described his poems as very personal.

"I write about things I feel comfortable with, my family, myself, people I know," he said. "Some of the poems are about people who've passed away at Beaumont [where he lives]. People who've heard me read them have said, 'You don't have to tell me who it is. I can tell.'"

According to Berube, his disability and his determination have had a profound impact on his poetry.

"The most important thing I want my readers to be aware of: I'm reflected in my work, my observations. I've been disabled for five years," he added. "My disability hasn't prevented me from reflecting. It's not just a picture of the moment, but a picture of me. I'm there on the page. I can be found in the words. Hopefully [readers] will discover someone they like, of who I might be.

"Some of it is very sad, very poignant, written about my own hospital experiences and the pain I face every day. I don't want anyone to ever think about me, 'He's incapacitated.' I

" refuse to be over come [by my disability]."

In completing his creation, Berube has an approach that works for him.

"A poem is pretty much done when I'm ready to share it," he said. "I transfer it to the computer when I can say, 'This feels like a poem.' There are a number of poems that didn't make the book. They're not bad poems. I'm just not ready to share them."

And sharing them is one of Berube's goals.

"I write poetry because I have to," he said. "My success isn't bound up by how many copies I sell so much as [if] it's touched one person."