Written over a lifetime, these lyrical poems reflect on childhood, early marriage, motherhood, and multiple long relationships in what proves to be rocky going. The author puzzles, attacks, muses, jokes, and meditates, seeking a way through ever-changing personal landscapes situated within the cultural tumult of late-twentieth-century America and more specifically in the strange beauty of north-central Florida. In several poems, she contemplates her nomadic youth as a military kid; born in Miami, she eventually lived in six states and spent two far-flung years in Asmara, Eritrea, Africa. The shadowy but powerful memories of those early years-hibiscus, clouds, elusive scents, radio tunes, flowering gardens and trees-permeate these musings by a poet trying to find some sense and intelligence somewhere in this always disappearing world, looking for grace, finding herself a little at a time. Influenced by authors as diverse as Mark Strand, Charles Bukowski, and the great Russian poet Anna Akhmatova, Susan Ward Mickelberry presents the outcomes in AND BLACKBERRIES GREW WILD. "Susan Ward Mickelberry's latest collection of poetry, AND BLACKBERRIES GREW WILD, has no agenda beyond communication. There's a lot of subtle symbology here, in nature, family, cats and geography, which creates a book that is spiritual, confessional and tributary, asking 'How dangerous is revelation?' The reader is invited into a serene world of love, life, memories, and finally, acceptance."-Nancy Patrice Davenport, author of Nothing and Too Much to Talk About"Susan has obviously spent a lot of time honing her craft. Her style is natural and effortless. This Poetry just falls naturally off of the page. Susan is a true student of the craft, and I'm sure you will not regret engaging with this Poetry."-Michael D. Grover, author of Walking Away and many others"Knowing then, and every day after, the only thing I'll ever know. Every moment is a lifetime. These lines from Susan Ward Mickelberry's poem "Open, Shut" resound as the reader is transported through a lifetime of sensory delights, insights, emotions, heartbreak, loss, imagination, and wisdom in everyday moments that are immortalized in each masterful poem. Intimate and searching, the poetry in And Blackberries Grew Wild speaks to the human experience in ways the reader can immediately savor. It leaves us wanting more." -Shana Smith, author, Islands of Cedars¿"Susan Ward Mickelberry's poetry presents a "microcosm of body"-an intimacy of sensory experience found in whippoorwills and windows, fish bones and raspberries, mosquitos and moss, blood and thorns, a standard sink, a red tricycle. But this intimacy of detail, along with gentle rhythms of Mickelberry's narrative voice, cannot distract from the sheer breadth of content carried in the poetry. Reading her poems is like stepping into gentle waves of one of the beaches she writes about-the crispness of the water and sand and other minute sensations is vividly alive within the context of the vastness of the ocean itself. This collection moves from Apopka to Asmara, Muskogee to the Bahamas, the Ozark hills to Azores, exploring themes of "Everything"-love, sex, fragility, loss, abuse, revelation, consciousness, voice. And Blackberries Grew Wild offers us the unpretentious but rich and evocative life experiences of a deeply honest, thoughtful poet.-"J. Nishida, Poetry Editor of Bacopa Literary Review 2024
from the preface: I read somewhere that poets write for themselves and the novelist writes for others. If this is in fact true, I still hope the reader will find something in these pages they can relate to or at least realize that they are not alone. To me, poetry is telling your story and sometimes the story of others.The majority of these poems were written before 2009. They are a part of me, a snapshot in time, like mom's old photo albums she would pull out when you really didn't want her to.The title, They Said I Wasn't College Material comes from a conversation and response I had with a high school counselor back in the early 70s. As adults and educators we like to pigeonhole children and track them as vocational or college bound without ever really getting to know them past the test score. They did a version of that in the 70s and continue to do that today. Oftentimes, we ignore some groups of children and they fall through the cracks. Their stories are equally important and you will find them here as well."They Said I Wasn't College Material by Scot Young is a collection that spans time and circumstances, by a poet willing to resurrect the sting of assumptions and expectations to turn the lens in the other direction. He challenges social gatekeeping, and the classist label culture that nurtures the privileged and pushes the rest of us toward their service. He understands what feeds self doubt and steers destiny away from us, and he goes after the source. His poems celebrate the capacity to experience and feel honestly, when that is often suppressed: "when young boys cried/wiped tears before dads could see." These poems convey love, nostalgia, hope, fear, anxiety, and more in connection with identity in a body of work that speaks to peeling back those expectations. Authenticity and humility draw people to connect with his poetry, and this is what he is after: "I only strive/to put one word in front of the other/ and hold it there long enough/ for it to matter/ to somebody." It matters to us, for sure. Young knows that crushing aspiration and potential crushes people, particularly at times when we have every right to see a future that is ours to shape. For those of us lucky to know Scot Young, we know that this is his cause- to remind us all of that most fundamental right. He shares what he has learned about the breakers and the broken, and he rejects the perpetuation of that power. Besides, there is dignity in choosing our own damage: "even bluebirds/ that are set free/ fly into windows."This is not the same as holding up the glass." -E. Lynn Alexander, Co-Founder and editor of Collapse Press"Scot Young has mastered the great poetic art of saying big things with a few, humble words. His latest collection, They Said I Wasn't College Material, is a straight forward, globe crossing, collage of spot on observations from a clear-eyed outlaw cowboy poet that found his own overgrown Ozark path from pen to paper. From the rowdy rodeo booze poems of a young bronc buster trying to keep himself together, to busted blue collar hopes, heartbreaking poems of lost sheep students, the tender apologies of a callous handed and feather-hearted father, and love poems so pretty you'll want to put them in a jar of water and leave them sitting on your kitchen counter so you can enjoy them for days. There's prose poems and short story snippets, and words all over the book, written in styles that can't be taught in classrooms, or replicated in workshops, they must be experienced and felt. Like all good literature, this book will hover in the weather patterns of our hearts for days."-Dan Denton, blue collar writer. author of The Dead and the Desperate.
RADIO WATER is Francine Witte's latest collection of flash fiction stories. The title story was recently featured in the most recent WW Norton anthology, Flash Fiction America (2023.) This story, like many others in the collection deal with Witte's recurring theme of family in the process of breakdown. Other themes are romance, growing up, and the environment. The stories are all under 1000 words, and are told with Witte's signature mix of quirk and poetic style. These are short, short stories that have a novel's worth of emotion."Francine Witte's stories are explosive little treasures I pull out whenever I want to feel something new. In RADIO WATER, Witte dives into the murky waters of her characters, women and children who have been lied to, used, and left to their own abandonments, but their suffering is never dull and never without hope. Witte's prose is alluring, studded with apt metaphors for life and love, and heartbreak. You'll be moved by this new collection."-Tommy Dean, Author of Hollows"Somewhere there is a wild and strange and lovelorn world where Francine Witte's characters rub shoulders, howl in pain and heartbreak, and sometimes commit murder as in her brilliant story, "Cross Country." And we're there for them. Yes, all of them. The plot twists in RADIO WATER flow as easily as water running down a stream, a sewer, a throat, and the details never snag on maudlin outcomes or unearned despair. RADIO WATER is alive, dazzling and dangerous."-Pamela Painter, author of Fabrications: New and Selected Stories"Sometimes, a subject seems so shopworn that surely another example can't work, but Francine Witte, throughout RADIO WATER, makes magic by doing just that. The disappointing husband, the disillusioned wife, the unfaithful father, selfish men in general-that list gathers expectations that Francine Witte sweeps away with surprising imagery, vivid language, and characters who engage us before a few sentences are complete. Often, they make us smile even as we become angry. In other words, Francine Witte knows her craft. These stories immediately immerse us inimage and scene. They stir empathy without being sentimental. Within a few hundred words, we care. RADIO WATER has been a pleasure to read."-Gary Fincke, author of The Corridors of Longing and co-editor of Best Microfiction
These Are the People in Your Neighbourhood is the legacy project of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada's Poet Laureate Jordan Trethewey. Trethewey spent two years collecting personal stories from willing participants, then turned his notes and thoughts into personalized poems for roughly 80 citizens. What emerges are universal stories of love, loss, longing, work, leisure, birth, death, near-death, and even pets. The result is a book that captures the diversity and spirit of any small city, not just Fredericton. Also included are Trethewey's poems written specifically for Fredericton City Council. They express the concerns of a growing multicultural metropolis, and subjects everyone loves, like Christmas. These Are the People in Your Neighbourhood, also includes beautiful ink and watercolour cityscapes by Fredericton artist Eva Christensen."This volume does what poetry, at its best, should do. Poetry of the people, for the people. These Are the People in Your Neighbourhood presents a panorama of individual stories that, when taken together, highlight shared connections that offer us a tangible sense of community. This collection will be a joy to read for the citizens of Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada, and the world at large. Bravo to Jordan Trethewey who understands what a poet laureate can do!" - Danny Shot, author of WORKS, and the upcoming JERSEY SLIDE. "Who among us has taken the time to identify and befriend those individuals who imbue the downtown core with colour? Some people collect beach glass. Jordan Trethewey collects stories from unique individuals whose patina has been softened by life. He then packages these stories in poetic containers, and offers them up for all to see. You can feel the story of Carlos Morales, walk alongside him for a bit, and realize how much better Fredericton is because the fates brought him here. Or you can learn of-and from-Sebastián Salas, who discovered there is no medication for loneliness...you can feel loved, and still feel left behind. Each of Jordan's poems is aggregated and fused into a single piece, creating a photo album, a microcosm of community life. Read the collection. Feel it. Saunter through the downtown core, the Walking Bridge to, or from, the Northside. Meet the people in your neighbourhood: the newcomers, the creatives, the eccentrics. The dreamers." -Chuck Bowie, author of the thriller series, Donovan: Thief for Hire "I've never visited Fredericton, but reading These Are the People in Your Neighbourhood, I feel as if I've come to know its people. Trethewey becomes a "curator of permanent, meaningful connections," a medium through which Fredericton townsfolk speak to readers as they love and lose, as they parent, work, and face cancer and addiction. Whether it's through a 13-yr-old boy sewing in art class, a pair of roommates flirting with the boys downstairs, an amusement park mascot, a homesick Vietnamese emigree, polyamorous lovers, or a reluctant librarian, a portrait of Fredericton emerges as a vibrant and eclectic mix of folks who've all converged on a "place that welcomes the truth of words." - Kerry Trautman, author of Artifacts, Unknowable Things, and Irregulars
All in a Pretty Little Row by Dan Provost is a collection of ten of his chapbooks from 2004-2022All in a Pretty Little Row by Dan Provost, published by Roadside Press, is a collection of raw and unapologetic poetry that delves into the turbulent depths of one man's life journey. In this chronicle of personal evolution, Dan Provost's powerful and honest voice takes center stage, reflecting the spectrum of human experience.Dan's poetry, often marked by his generosity, grapples with life's harsh realities, presenting a thousand examples of its unfairness and the myriad ways individuals cope with it, even if it perpetuates cycles of misery.This collection is a poignant journey through Dan's life and his battle with internal demons, offering readers the opportunity to witness his evolution as a writer and chronicler of uncomfortable circumstances. Structured chronologically, the book maps his progress through trial-and-error lessons, ultimately leading to the faint glimmer of hope that persists, even in the face of life's harshest realities.All in a Pretty Little Row is not for the faint of heart; it is a compelling read that pushes readers out of their comfort zones. It is an invitation to join Dan Provost on his disturbing, incredible, and profoundly personal journey-a journey that reminds us that peace of mind is something to be earned, not handed out, and that there may yet be hope, however intangible, on the horizon.Prepare to be moved and challenged as you immerse yourself in the vivid and unvarnished work of Dan Provost, a poet who knows how to speak to the heart of the human experience like few others can.
a book of poetry by underground legend Michael D. Grover.¿¿Over the years Michael D. Grover has become a legendary underground Poet. Back in the early 2000s he ran Covert Press and worked with many of the giants of underground Poetry. Over the years Michael has been published in countless publications all over the World, and published over fifteen books of Poetry. Michael spent over ten years as head Poetry editor of the literary zine Red Fez. Michael has published two novels. Michael currently lives in Florida, dealing with cancer, with his dog where he meditates every day.
In CLOWN GRAVY, Misti Rainwater-Lites presents a provocative collection of thirteen stories that deftly capture the zeitgeist of the 21st century, where the world appears to be teetering on the brink of chaos, yet there's an undeniable sense of resilience and humor that prevails.Venture into the surreal landscape of CLOWN GRAVY as it explores the horror and hilarity of a society immersed in porno cartoon America, where the boundaries of decency and absurdity blur into a bizarre dance of contradictions. In this literary feast, Rainwater-Lites serves up a Great Value fever dream, where reality and fantasy collide, leaving readers questioning the very fabric of existence. Delve into the allure of celebrity worship and the all-encompassing saturation of social media, which shape and reshape our perceptions of reality in profound ways.Throughout these imaginative tales, pop culture references abound, reflecting the tapestry of influences that surround us, and providing a playful and insightful commentary on our contemporary lives. CLOWN GRAVY is a testament to the times we inhabit, reminding us that despite the challenges we face, there's an underlying spirit that persists-a determination to find humor and solace in the strangest of circumstances.In the end, Misti Rainwater-Lites beckons us to embrace the chaotic beauty of our world, cherishing the moments of absurdity that make life both perplexing and exhilarating. CLOWN GRAVY is an invitation to explore the bizarre, celebrate the unpredictable, and find the silver lining in the most unexpected places. So, let us revel in the "good times" and recognize the unique fortune we have to experience this extraordinary era.
Dan Denton's 2nd novelThere are novels that cleverly speak of life below the poverty line in working class America, and then there is The Dead & The Desperate, where Denton's main character becomes a begrudging Ohio resident and sudden and unexpected father, all while battling untreated mental illness and a nightmare vision board of addictions, and putting in dozens of overtime hours every week in hell scape low paying factory jobs. The main character chases poet's daydreams in dangerous dive bars, wrestles the factory machine everyday and finds friendship in a broken cast of characters like cheated on bartenders, gay bookstore owners, comfort seeking sex workers, and his fellow addicted factory brothers. There's homelessness, divorce, overdoses and death. Life in the Midwest factories under the poverty line, and falling deeper in every month."The return of authentic proletarian literature."-Richard Modiano Director Emeritus Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center, 2022 winner of the Joe Hill Prize for Labor Poetry"With The Dead and the Desperate, Dan Denton bares his tortured soul for all to see and it's a harrowing yet beautiful sight to behold. A damn fine writer who should be applauded for his honesty and courage. Denton is not afraid to 'go there,' wherever 'there' really is. I'll be thinking about this book for the rest of my life."-Jason Webber, author of Purple Bananas: How Prince Saved Me
Karl Koweski has finally ended his war against the Amish. While there are still pockets of the electricity-adverse in existence, thanks to Karl, their internet footprint has been all but wiped out. With Rumspringa cancelled, Karl Koweski can now settle back into his first love, writing the poetry. He can be found on the social media where he maintains an eerie radio silence."I can name only a handful of poets that I've ever read that can turn a rotted, decaying alley trash bag into a piece of beautiful art, but Karl Koweski stands atop that list. Perhaps no other modern writer has written more honestly, straightforward and unrelenting about a life featuring gutter level addictions and traumas, and managed to do it in a way that creates heart punch beauty. 'Under Normal Conditions' is a bouquet of roses made from rust and concrete and growing on the wrong side of the tracks in a city near you. An absolutely brilliant collection."-Dan Denton, author of Finding Jesus & Prayers To My Saints"Karl Koweski brings us on a voyeuristic journey into the grit and strife of an everyday working-class man, showing what it takes to transcend daily struggles into an artful interpretation of an industrialized landscape, proving that art is found in the dust-covered machinery of the American Dream." -Rebecca Schumejda, author of Sentenced¿¿"Karl Koweski writes blue collar poetry bursting with vivid imagery of the industrial American landscape and its all-encompassing loneliness. His work captures the desolation of the American soul more powerfully than any other contemporary poet I have read. The poems breathe with the resigned desperation of lives on the fringes, and the losses, both big and small, that eventually find us all. There are moving snapshots of sorrow, loss, and survival but peppered with dark and wry humor as well. Above all, these poems feel necessary, which is a rare thing these days."-William Taylor Jr., author of A Room Above a Convenience Store
When you were born at exactly 3 p.m. on Good Friday, you can either start a cult, or write poems and live a life of relative obscurity.Nathan Graziano chose the latter, and in Born on Good Friday-his first collection of poems in nearly a decade-he addresses his complicated relationship with Catholicism and guilt while staring down his vices and a veritable midlife crisis with some doom, some sprinkles of gloom, and an abundance of good humor.Born on Good Friday won't save your soul, but it could amuse you or-even more probable-sit on your bookshelf as you wait for Armageddon."Nathan Graziano is back, and those of us who love his work couldn't be more excited. Reading Born On Good Friday, Graziano's first book of poems in almost a decade, is like eavesdropping on a confessional where you can say whatever you want in whatever way you want, like the kid who takes all the sins he's written down on paper, turns them into a papier mâché dinosaur, then says, "You should have heard that motherfucker roar." This is a book about the pains and joys of sin and the journey to find out how to recognize the difference. Graziano is a comedian, which is why so many of these poems are deeply felt and sting-nothing is as funny as our hardest moments, and Graziano takes all the sadness of being alive and tilts those moments into laughter. Somehow, this is a book about hope because it's a book about living with the truth. You will fail. Embrace who you are. That's success." -Dave Newman, The Same Dead Songs"In the beginning of Born on Good Friday, Nathan Graziano examines how "as an early adolescent, and a Catholic / sin sat like a brick of Bibles on [his] groin." But as the book moves into middle age, Graziano struggles to find "a place where 'love' is no longer a lonesome word." It's this struggle that gives this collection tension and conflict, a youthful glee that turns into adulthood's practical gaze, where panic attacks give way to a middle-aged feeling of hard fought contented sadness. And dare I say it, happiness? Because there's humor here too, found in his son doing homework, where Graziano has to explain "that Uranus jokes / are sophomoric," but still inevitably they end up "laughing in the face of maturity," and so too does the reader. The book moves effortlessly between what we lose from our childhood dreams to the wisdom we gain as we age." -Lindsay Wilson, The Day Gives Us So Many Ways to Eat
In How To Play House, Heather Dorn invites readers on a journey through the complexities of life. With language that is both poetic and biting, Dorn explores the opposing forces that shape our relationships and surroundings. From the chemical reactions that drive our emotions to the boundaries we create in our own homes, Dorn's poetry offers a unique and provocative perspective on the world around us. With its mix of beauty and grit, How To Play House is a must-read for anyone looking to be challenged and inspired by contemporary poetry.
Alan Catlin worked for the better part of 34 years in his unchosen profession as a barman in and around the greater Albany, NY area. He has published dozens of chapbooks and full-length books focusing on his work and the people he met while laboring in the trenches of bar warfare.
a full-length poetry collection by Kerry Trautman.Unknowable Things is a breathtaking collection of poetry by Kerry Trautman that explores the depths of the human experience with stark honesty and unflinching candor. Through evocative and powerful language, Trautman masterfully crafts the weight of human existence into poetry that is universal, self-reflective, and outright beautiful.Each poem in this collection is a testament to Trautman's skill at pulling deeper meaning out of the everyday ordinary, and her words are written with a smooth, polished, and tender touch. From start to finish, Unknowable Things is seamless, with not a word wasted or misplaced.This collection is perfect for readers who are looking for poetry that speaks to the human condition in a powerful and relatable way. Whether you are an avid reader of poetry or new to the genre, we hope that these words will resonate with you and leave a lasting impression on your heart. So take a moment to slow down and savor each verse, allowing the rhythm and imagery to transport you to a world of introspection and self-discovery. We hope you will find solace and inspiration in these pages, and that you will return to them again and again as you navigate your own journey through the mysteries of the human experience.Ohio born and raised, Kerry Trautman is a founder of ToledoPoet.com and the "Toledo Poetry Museum" page on Facebook, which promote Northwest Ohio poetry. Her work has appeared in dozens of anthologies and journals, including Slippery Elm, Free State Review, Mock Turtle Zine, Paper & Ink, Disappointed Housewife, Limp Wrist, Midwestern Gothic, and Gasconade Review. Kerry's books are Things That Come in Boxes (King Craft Press 2012,) To Have Hoped (Finishing Line Press 2015,) Artifacts (NightBallet Press 2017,) To be Nonchalantly Alive (Kelsay Books 2020,) and Marilyn: Self-Portrait, Oil on Canvas (Gutter Snob Books 2022.)
Nancy Patrice Davenport is a native of the San Francisco Bay Area. She lives in San Mateo with three cats.Nancy's poems are widely published in various journals and anthologies, and have been translated into many different languages. Nancy's "JUNE 2 RETROGRADE MINDFULNESS" poem was nominated for the 2016 Best of Net.Nancy's first chapbook, LA BRIZNA, was published in 2014 by Bookgirl Press. A full-length book of poems, SMOKING IN MOM'S GARAGE, was published in 2018 by Red Alice Press.
William Taylor Jr. lives and writes in San Francisco. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, and a volume of fiction. His work has been published widely in journals across the globe, including Rattle, The New York Quarterly, and The Chiron Review. He was a recipient of the 2013 Kathy Acker Award, and edited Cocky Moon: Selected Poems of Jack Micheline (Zeitgeist Press, 2014). A Room Above a Convenience Store, (Roadside Press) is his latest collection of poetry."A William Taylor poem, like Christmas, brings out the best and worst in us. These poems are set somewhere in the distance between American promise and American experience, a landscape of mislaid hopes that turns out to offer a kind of happiness.As voices come and go, some lost, some dead, the rhythm of moving from one rundown scene to another builds until it's suddenly broken by a line that flares like a match in a dark alley- 'someone who'll build a kite out of losing tickets,' 'the quick gift of afternoon light' or simply having 'nowhere to be in the morning.'Never asking too much of the world, WT has located enough minor miracles among the ruins to carry him, and anyone else drinking up these poems, on through the days and nights ahead." -- Peter Milton Walsh, singer/songwriter, The Apartments"The poems of A Room Above a Convenience Store are raw and honest with William Taylor Jr.'s clear-eyed vision of 'the beauty and the terror' of these plague times we find ourselves shuffling through. Taylor captures the loneliness and the suffering of this crazy, broken world of ours-'the fire and fear' that surround us-but his poems also point to the horizon at what might be a small shard of hope. Yes, there is an 'endless ocean of loss.' Yes, we are haunted by the ghosts of our memories. Yes, we fail and fail. But these poems tell us that there are still sometimes pretty things, moments of beauty and grace, 'quick gifts of light' shining despite the darkness, if only we keep looking for them. Taylor tells us there is something like joy to be found in the music of things around us, as long as we keep listening for something that sings." -Scott Silsbe, author of Meet Me Where We Survive"I read William Taylor Jr.'s poems with a delicious dread, or call it envy, or call it the anxiety of recent influence, because his writing makes me want to write more, and I sort of want to write like him, for the way he captures the beating heart of human sadness, that pulse beneath the streets and behind the faces of strangers, which he manages to infuse with both the singular beauty of the everyday and a rare compassion for the broken among us, and so I want to go out and watch this fallen world with him and toast our fortunes as poets, poor as they may be, because in his work I am led back to the lost art of seeing, and for that I am ever grateful." - Carl Watson, author of Beneath the Empire of the Birds
a book of poetry by Canadian author Ryan Quinn FlanaganRyan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author who lives in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage. His work has been published both in print and online in such places as: The New York Quarterly, Rusty Truck, Evergreen Review, Red Fez, Horror Sleaze Trash and The Blue Collar Review. He enjoys listening to the blues and cruising down the TransCanada in his big blacked out truck."Movie stars, birds, lizards, muggers, and sharks in an alphabet milkshake. Ryan comes out with haymakers and steel-toed boots. Crescendos, bombs, fuck you corvettes, and elevator men.The Mighty Quinn is from Ontario, Canada; where bears drive trucks and eat beaver meatloaf. I recommend this book; Ry is widely published. Since Bukowski is gone and my friend, Lyn Lifshin; I think Flanagan will become and deserves to be top wrangler on the small press ranch."--Catfish McDaris, 1-26-23"Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a twisted bastard and I love it. His poetry is funnier than most. And it's the dark kind. Is it ironic that gallows humor gives me pangs of nostalgia for the nineties when people didn't give a fuck? This poet still doesn't. I find his acid tongue refreshing, Scenes of cynics, surly saints, the lost and lonely; Kiss the Heathens reports from the front lines of a working class world where the punchlines make painful points, and only a smirk can save your sanity."-Westley Heine, author of Busking Blues: Recollections of a Chicago Street Musician & Squatter"The moments in Kiss the Heathens are grounded in the incidents of life-good or bad-but sprinkled with imagined insanity, so they feel real, even when they aren't. "She seems to know I don't have it in me,/staying in the room where her ex-husband used/to beat her for $49/night,/the nice couple that own the place/imploring us to pet their dying cone-headed dog/as they hand us the key." It's as though Flanagan takes us with him around town-to a pet store, a hotel, a gas station, a restaurant or its dishroom-and all the while he's sign-posting what he makes of it all, with a teasing economy of language. "Of course I believe in god. I have a cat, don't I?""-Kerry Trautman, author of Unknowable Things
the 40th book of poetry by George Wallace¿¿¿"This is the poetry of a country born to be wild and a heart rapacious and spellbound; writing that is modern, mindful and as old as the native cornstalks"-THURSTON MOORE, SONIC YOUTH"George Wallace is a time traveler, a shape-shifter, a painter in words whose palette is the history of human struggle and aspiration. His poetry is a river running through generations of mothers and soldiers, migrants and lovers, factory workers and freedom fighters; a river mixing dark earth, temple dust, broken bones and drinking pots, black coffee and corn meal, with tears of seawater and the blood of true believers. Think Lorca in the late night barrooms of America with jazz on the jukebox and seduction on the dance floor, or Whitman in the trenches of world revolutions; from palace to prison and everywhere between George Wallace writes both inside and outside the walls, a man of many perspectives, singing the great soul story of our collective heart."-Carl Watson"George Wallace's latest collection, Resurrection Song, is a compendium of all his strengths as poet: his acceptance of risk, scorn for pretense, hatred of sham, an expectation of the triumph of love, and a passion for life lived wondrously to the hilt. An absolutely necessary collection."-Richard Modiano, Director Emeritus Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center"An orgy. An explosion. A goddamn feast. Poetry that will stand the test of time. Best collection of poems I've read so far in 2023."-JOHN SWEET, FIRST LUMMOX POETRY PRIZE"A deeply moving and powerful collection with an electric vocabulary."-Ellyn Maybe"Reminds us of what poetry was always hoped to be, but forgotten along the way."-Roger Aplon
At the height of the late 2000's recession, a singer-songwriter throws himself at the mercy of the streets. A panorama of pedestrians, workers, graffiti artists, bike messengers, homeless, hipsters, hustlers, punks, drunks, poets, grifters, and gangsters-Busking Blues is about giving up everything for the muse.Down and out, but on top of the world, Heine gives a devil-may-care serenade through the underground of bad relationships, dead-end jobs, blues jams, for-profit colleges, hospitals, dive bars, all night diners, subway tunnels, back alleys, blood banks, and one ancient YMCA. This streetwise tale based on real life is in turns sympathetic, adventurous, gritty, and oddly uplifting.Busking Blues is a slice of time in an ever-changing city. Though, some things are constant. In a place where flesh and souls are for sale, Heine sees the cosmic beauty haloed in the streetlights. At the frontlines of America, this is a meditation on karma, superstition, classism, race and inequality, heartbreak, disillusionment, and freedom. He waxes philosophically from the highs of freedom to the lows of the gutter, while pounding the pavement until it cracks."A broke down history of the blues. Ain't no other map of Chicago like this one. A quest for self. Though I walk through the valley of urban apocalyptic death I shall fear no evil. What does it take to live and be your dream? There is no tribal ceremonial ritual way to escape from being forced to live a status quo do what your conditioned and told to do life to living and being your dream. But a few rare individuals, against all odds, choose to be guided by their deep rooted passion and, regardless of the consequences, go their own damn way. Westley Heine throws the system's rule book out the fucking window. Once I entered the story I couldn't put his book down. BUSKING BLUES: Recollections of a Chicago Street Musician & Squatter is a masterpiece." -Ron Whitehead, U.S. National Beat Poet Laureate¿"Provocative and visceral, Busking Blues eviscerates the Chicago streets with a rusty knife... hits like a shot of neon blue morphine icing through your veins. This book will make your teeth curl and your hair fall out. To paraphrase Oscar Wilde: We are all in the gutter... but Westley Heine is looking at the curb."-Leon Horton, International Times¿"If you ever dreamt about being a street musician or wondered why anyone would dream of being one, this memoir by Westley Heine is for you. In honest and rocking and often intensely poetic language that evokes Kerouac and Bukowski at their best, Heine pulls us into his wild life trying to make a living playing on street corners in Chicago in 2010. I don't know if Heine can sing, but he sure can write. If you love Chicago, you'll love it even more after reading this!" - John Guzlowski, author of Echoes of Tattered Tongues, winner of the Eric Hoffer/Montaigne Award for the most thought-provoking book of 2017.
a book of short stories by Steven MeloanSteven Meloan's writing has been seen in Wired, Rolling Stone, Los Angeles, BUZZ, the San Francisco Chronicle, and SF Weekly. His fiction has appeared in SOMA Magazine, the Sonoma Valley Sun, Lummox Press, and Newington Blue Press, as well as at Litquake, Quiet Lightning, and other Bay Area literary events. He has regularly written for the Huffington Post, and is co-author of the novel The Shroud with his brother Michael. He is a recovered software programmer, and was a street busker in London, Paris, and Berlin."Reading these stories, I felt like I was hearing an original voice for the very first time. They are surreal, cinematic, poetic, and have real punch-with everything I could want in a collection of short fiction. Set in California and Europe, from the 1960s to the 1980s, they vividly capture lost times and lost places. They have echoes of Jack Kerouac and Paul Bowles, and can be read again and again with a sense of wonder and pleasure."-Jonah Raskin, Author of Beat Blues, San Francisco, 1955
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