Southport Magazine

Did you ever look at a pile of books and think, “Wow! Those titles, when read all together, sound like a poem!” Honestly, neither did I. But Southport resident Annette Dauphin-Simon sees the makings of a poem in just about every book title she reads. For years, Annette has been creating poetry by stacking books one atop the other, so that the titles printed on the spines of the books create lines of poetry. She has composed so many exceptionally clever spine poems that she was offered a contract with Harper Collins to publish a book called “Spine Poems:  An Eclectic Collection of Found Verse for Book Lovers,” which comes out on Sept. 6, 2022 and is sure to be a publishing sensation.

Annette Dauphin-Simon has always been a creative person. When she was in kindergarten, she says, she was named best artist in her class. A graduate of the University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning, she enjoyed a successful career in advertising and design. Her husband Kent, who she met in college, worked in the same field ,and over the years, their jobs took them from Ohio to Raleigh to Austin, Texas, where Annette flourished as an award-winning creative director for an ad agency. Eventually, the couple landed in Florida in 2005, at which point Annette decided to leave the corporate world to have more time with her children and to pursue other interests. 

During her years in Florida, Annette, who admits to being a bit of a bookworm, took a part-time job at an independent bookstore in Neptune Beach called The Bookmark. It was there, while arranging bookshelves in 2012, that she first began to “see” poetry in book titles and stumbled upon the concept of spine poems.

With a bit of research, Annette learned that the method of using book titles to create poems was not new. Also known as “found verse” or “collage poems,” it’s actually a popular form of creative thinking used by school teachers. Libraries and bookstores frequently sponsor spine poem challenges as way to celebrate National Book Day. In 1993, an artist named Nina Katchadourian was the first to publish a book collection of spine poems, called “Sorted Books,” which Annette credits as an inspiration in the preface of her own book. But while the concept may be popular, it’s not so easy to do well (believe me, I’ve tried!). Annette’s poems are truly remarkable.  

As Annette’s editor, Jenna Lefkowitz, says: “The thrill of discovery has always been my favorite part of reading, and “Spine Poems” distills that in a perfectly clever and creative form. Whether joyful, hilarious, fantastical, or wistful (or all of the above), each poem captures the magic of both the stories we take in and the stories we tell.”

Annette Dauphin-Simon is not a first-time author. In fact, she already had four children’s books to her credit when she began compiling her collection of spine poems. Annette’s first published work was a book that she illustrated and co-wrote with her young son, then 5 years old, after the death of her three-year-old daughter, Libby, from a rare genetic disorder. 

“This Book is for All Kids, But Especially for My Sister Libby. Libby Died,” was published in 2002 and quickly became a success. Ronald MacDonald Houses across the country used the book to help children and adults journey through the process of grieving. With its poignant title, straightforward prose and funky graphics, the book is a springboard for children and adults to begin conversations about life and death, sorrow and hope.

“While I’d always wanted to create picture books, I never could’ve imagined that’d be the first I’d illustrate. It’s all Jack’s words, though, from a loose journal I kept the year after Libby died. While I’d worked in advertising and design for years, Jack was my toughest client. I wanted his complete involvement and approval.” 

Annette wrote three other children’s books during her years in Florida, utilizing her graphic design skills to cleverly illustrate them herself. “Mocking Birdies,” “Robot Zombie Frankenstein,” and “Robot BurpHead Smartypants” are all silly, quirky, relatable picture books for preschoolers and young children.

In 2018, Annette and her husband moved to Southport. During the pandemic, she decided to reorganize her own bookshelves and found herself once again indulging her passion for stacking books into verse. She admits it’s an addictive habit, akin to solving a riddle or doing a puzzle.

“I typically see a title, or think of a title, and then starts looking for other titles that would fit together to create a meaningful verse.” Annette explained. “As with most poetry, my spine poems are open to interpretation by the reader.”

Once Annette realized how many poems she had composed over the years, she began to think about putting together a compilation and eventually, a book project was born. In March of 2022, Annette was thrilled to sign a contract with Harper Design, an arm of Harper Collins, for a book of her spine poems. 

The contract was based on a sampling of Annette’s poems in print and photo formats. The publisher, who may have sensed a best seller, stipulated that the entire manuscript be submitted in less than six weeks! While she had all of her poems typed up – all 110 of them – she had only a few of the stacks photographed at the time she signed the book deal. Annette promptly began to find, borrow, or purchase the 323 books she had used to make her poems over the years. She then enlisted the aid of her husband, and together they concocted a makeshift photobooth in their home studio, using gray resin shelves pulled from their garage and sheets of construction material for the backdrop. Working feverishly over many long days, they arranged the books into artful stacks, photographed them, and laid the pictures out with all of the text. Each of Annette’s poems is accompanied by a list of the book authors, as well as bulleted side-notes, quotes, and miscellaneous facts relating to the titles that add depth to her verses.  Interestingly, the titles that make up each spine poem come from all different genres, with cookbooks stacked on mysteries, or picture books stacked on histories. The book itself, however, is arranged by themes, including fiction and non-fiction, art, philosophy, cooking, romance, etc.   

“I finished the whole project and submitted it on my birthday, so I had two major milestones to celebrate that day!” Annette recounted with a laugh.

While anyone can enjoy the delight of creating spine poems, Annette clearly has a talent for them that is both visionary and cerebral. She is able to see poetry in stacks of seemingly disparate titles by rearranging them into something profoundly meaningful.

In the words of her publisher at Harper Collins, Annette’s spine poems are “tiny stories of love, loss, work, play, parenting, pop culture, travel and home.”

Annette will celebrate her book launch on Sept. 6 at the bookshop in Neptune Beach, Florida where it all began. But don’t worry, her book will be available at several shops locally, including Lantanas, Southport Trading Company, and Mad River. You can also find it at Wilmington booksellers Barnes & Noble, Pomegranate Books and Old Books on Front Street.  “Spine Poems: An Eclectic Collection of Found Verse for Book Lovers” is also available online through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.  

Grab a copy as a great addition to your own bookshelf – it’s sure to inspire some re-arranging! And maybe grab a few more as unique gifts for all the wordsmiths, poetry lovers, and bibliophiles in your life.

Inside Scoop: Annette is currently working on a collection of spine poems for children! Follow her on Facebook or at: www.annettesimon.net