New Shel Silverstein Poetry Collection Coming in 2011

Given the author's creativity and output, there is no dearth of material. "Every time Shel did a collection, he had more material than could fit in one book, so he'd put aside the extra material and take it out when he began another book, and would again end up with more than he could possibly use," Markiet recalls. Twelve previously unpublished poems were included in HarperCollins' 2004 30th-anniversary edition of Where the Sidewalk Ends, and another 12 in A Light in the Attic Special Edition, released last fall.

"There is a wealth of material in the archives, and so many fans still write to us and to Shel's family saying how important his work is to them, that the family decided it was the right time to consider another book from that material," says Markiet of the new anthology. She explains that the Silverstein family is carefully considering all the work in the poet's archives to compile the collection, along with members of the HarperCollins staff.