Warner-based poet and anthologist Matt Forrest Esenwine released a new anthology of children’s poetry at the start of the month. The book, titled “A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World,” is illustrated by artist Jamey Christoph, based in Cornish. The anthology, which includes poems from many well-known children’s poets, combines poetry with science and nature.

With “A Universe of Rainbows” hot off the press, Esenwine shared more about the book and the process of creating it.

Q: What inspired the anthology? As someone who writes a lot of children's poetry, I'm always thinking about possible ideas for poetry collections. In this case, it was early 2019 when I came up with the concept of a collection about different types of rainbows, like sun dogs, rainbow eucalyptus trees, the rainbow lorikeet, and even the Rainbow Nebula in Orion. And since rainbows are a symbol of pride and inclusion, I decided that rather than writing the entire collection myself, I'd call on a bunch of my friends like Jane Yolen, Nikki Grimes, Charles Waters, and others to create an anthology.

Q: What do you hope readers will take away from the book? I hope they come away with an appreciation not only for nature and the world around us, but also an appreciation for the beauty of words.

Q: What does your creative process look like? Well, it's not pretty, I'll tell you that. Sometimes an idea comes to me, and I can sit down and bang out the first rough draft within a day or a week. Other times, it's like pulling teeth – and not normal human teeth, but nasty, growling, grizzly bear teeth covered in hot saliva. There are days when you're patting yourself on the back for an ingenious plot solution or creative turn of phrase, the next day you're wondering if you should just give it all up and become a ditch digger. Honestly, no project is ever the same.

Q: What does poetry mean to you? I've been writing poetry since I was nine or ten, so it's always been a part of my life. And I know some people think, "poetry, really?" But I love poetry because it can say a lot in a compact space. You describe a scene, a person, a feeling in just a few short lines, and then you're off writing something else! And for someone like me who's on the spectrum and has a short attention span, it's a really fun, rewarding genre.

Q: How long have you lived in Warner? I've lived here since 2008, but my family used to come to Warner all the time back when I was in school. Growing up in Weare, we had horses, so we'd come up to Highlawn Farm (now the Mt. Kearsarge Indian Museum) and get our tack and clothing. So I feel like Warner has always been part of my life.

Q: What else do you want local readers to know? Readers should know that the amazing illustrator of "A Universe of Rainbows," Jamey Christoph, also lives here in New Hampshire, and is one of the nicest fellows you'll ever meet. He and I will be doing several bookstore visits together at Toadstool in Keene and Peterborough as well as MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, and I'll be visiting several libraries over the course of the summer to supplement their summer reading programs.

Esenwine and Christoph hold a book event at Main Street BookEnds in Warner on Saturday, May 17 at 1 p.m.

For more information on the book, visit mattforrest.com.