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The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem, by Frederick Glaysher, takes place partly on the moon, at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility. 

Apollo, the Greek god of poetry, calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets sends the Persona on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the moon the poets teach him a new vision of life.

All the great shades appear at the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility: Homer and Virgil from Greek and Roman civilization; Dante, Spenser, and Milton hail from the Judeo-Christian West; Rumi, Attar, and Hafez step forward from Islam; Du Fu and Li Po, Basho and Zeami, step forth from China and Japan; the poets of the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana meet on that plain; griots from Africa; shamans from Indonesia and Australia; Murasaki Shikibu, Emily Dickinson, and Jane Austen, poets and seers of all Ages, bards, rhapsodes, troubadours, and minstrels, major and minor, hail across the halls of time and space. One of the major themes is the power of women and the female spirit across cultures. Another is the nature of science and scientism, as well as the “two cultures.”

BOOK I, THE ARGUMENT:

"The first book proposes, in brief, the whole subject. In the midst of things, the Persona stands on the moon with the assembled poets of all nations, ancient and modern, called by the Greek god Apollo and the Nine Muses to consult on the meaning of modernity and modern Nihilism, the belief in Nothing, the dark vision of the time. Cervantes, seated on Rocinante, welcomes the Persona to the moon. A throng of poets and writers, East and West, accompany Cervantes, Du Fu and Li Po, Vyasa and Tagore, Basho and Saigyo, Rumi and Attar, Shakespeare and Samuel Johnson, Wordsworth and Keats, Jane Austen, African griots and shamans, Balla Fasseke, Merlin, Job, and many others. All consult on the threatened state of humanity, how to find and affirm a worthy vision of life, meaning, and purpose. They consult and agree they shall strive together to help the Persona by guiding him on his Journey."
 

In the mid part of the moon, I stood,
in the midst of the Sea of Tranquility,
looking around me from rim to curving rim... 

“A poet now whose work and dedication to a demanding and difficult art I admire; a man who has the gift of inner grace.” —Robert Hayden 

"Very readable and intriguingly enjoyable. ...Frederick Glaysher's hours of dedication have produced a masterpiece that will stand the test of time." - Poetry Cornwall, Issue No. 36, Spring 2013.

Goodreads, Ratul Pal, Jan 25, 2013, rated it 

 "Most of the contemporary poets and critics claim that epic is not suitable for our modern age. But Frederick Glaysher has proven them wrong...." (more)

LibraryThing Review:

"I found this book to be up to the standards set by Homer. ...This book also is very thought provoking as it brings into question what humanity is doing to the Earth and each other. I highly recommend it." (  )

   |   wtshehan | Oct 25, 2012

Amazon Review, March 8, 2013, "The poets that are identified in this fascinating book see a universal brotherhood...." 

Albany Poets News, Thom Francis, Feb 8, 2013. "Frederick Glaysher and his epic poem The Parliament of Poets...certainly wowed the crowd at the library with the performance and the words themselves." 

Frederick Glaysher studied writing under a private tutorial, at the University of Michigan, with the poet Robert Hayden and edited both Hayden’s Collected Prose (University of Michigan Press) and his Collected Poems (Liveright). He holds a bachelor’s and a master’s degree from U of M, the latter in English. At the college and university level, he taught American and non-Western literature, world religions, etc., for ten years. 

Mr. Glaysher lived for more than fifteen years outside Michigan—in Japan, where he taught at Gunma University in Maebashi; in Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation, site of one of the largest internment camps for Japanese-Americans during WWII; in Illinois, on the central farmlands and on the Mississippi; ultimately returning to his suburban hometown of Rochester. He has been a Fulbright-Hays and NEA scholar on China and India and has traveled and studied throughout China. 

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BOOK I >  CLICK HERE for FREE PDF DOWNLOAD, includes the Preface and Introduction.