Longtime Publicist Mark Soifer To Read Poetry Book In Ocean City

OCEAN CITY, NJ - Longtime Ocean City Publicist Mark Soifer will read from his 10th book of poems at the Ocean City Library on Wednesday, Feb. 20, 7 p.m. “Pair of Dice Lost” Illustrator Jerome Lukas will also attend the reading and show off his talent, city officials said on Monday. Admission is free.

• the long four-page title poem;
• concrete poetry, which is verse that takes the shape of its subject;
• nonsense poems;
• through-the-window poems, written while the poet was looking out the second-story window of his house;
• nature poems; and
• one poem written about his doggie.

Several pages contain stories and poems about Ocean City, including a Music Pier poem in which Soifer pays tribute to its legendary performers.

There is a poem in the book published by Readers Digest and a poem published in “Pup Tent Poets” of “Stars and Stripes,” the U.S. Army newspaper. Soifer had 50 in the publication while serving in Germany. He has been published in many literary magazines.

Soifer worked as public relations director of Ocean City for 45 years. He and his wife, Toby, also created a series of cartoons titled “Surf and Turf,” which he will bring to the reading in book form.
The Ocean City Library is located at 1735 Simpson Avenue.

Patch file photo of Mark Soifer with now Rep. Jeff Van Drew when Soifer was honored as Ocean City’s Citizen of the Decade in 2013.