Description
Book SynopsisCelebrate the human existence with extraño, a defiantly hopeful collection of adult poetry offering lifelines of creativity and compassion for those of us who’ve taken more than our unfair share of beatings. Includes a Foreword by poet Geneviève L. Walsh. “Like the sting and throb of a new tattoo these are painful and beautiful poems, worn on the sleeve and inked with care and precision. Unwrap their clingfilm, they will speak to the sunshine of rain.” — Tony Walsh AKA Longfella, poet & educator “The love for people observed or well-known in their own complicated existences shines. Women in this collection have inner lives more vast and important than their outer appearance.” — Anna Percy, founder of Stirred Feminist Collective
Trade Review“Steve O’Connor’s words poetically brim ‘n’ blister with accomplished literary urgency. His scorching abilities to venture within and around his subjects, startling. On page or stage, this is work, living, breathing, a life-lived authenticity. From urban grits of scuffling cityscapes to fully-flown romances of human experience, Steve’s poetry simply/complexly soars.” — Gerry Potter, poet & playwright; “Here are heartfelt poems full of warmth, wit and imaginatively woven words.” — Dominic Berry, Saboteur Awards’ Best Spoken Word Performer; “The gentle rhythms of his poetry only make clearer the fragility, that sense of being on the edge, of many people. I was going to say that he documents our times better than anyone, but what he actually does is to document life, existence and feeling, with intensity, insight, and flashes of panache. Impossible to read this without wanting to hug the man.” — Cathy Thomas-Bryant, Puppywolf; “This collection betrays a controlled, at times resigned sensibility. Sensitive but secure in outlook, these poems reveal a mature yet subtle vibrancy. Their economy of scale disguises their scope and concision.” — Robert Cochrane, The Bad Press
