Inspired by Simone Muench’s powerful little book, “Wolf Centos,” poet, Mark WidrlechnerMark embarked on a creative journey to create his own book of Centos. The cento is a unique form of poetry that probably originated with the bards of Ancient Rome. Each line in a cento is borrowed from a past poet, and those lines are then rewoven together to express something entirely new. Simone's centos were quite riveting and dealt with much more than wolves. The name “cento” comes from the Classical Latin word for making a patchwork or quilt.

Mark has assembled a collection of nearly 100 of those centos into a book entitled, “A Patchwork Elk.” It brings together lines from more than 400 poets and is illustrated with wonderful photo collages created by Bree, a remarkable visual artist and poet in her own right, who makes her home in Kentucky.