112 pages; 6 X 9 Perfect Bound, Softcover
ISBN 978-1-929878-50-5
By Rick Smith
Rick Smith’s third book with Lummox Press represents a significant departure from his previous two titles, Hard Landing and The Wren Notebook. In those two books, Smith utilized the diminutive Wren as an archetypal character that represented both bird and human behavior. It was almost a spiritual journey at times…a wonder-filled travelogue with Wren.
But things have taken a decidedly darker turn in this collection of poems…instead the wispy wren, fluttering around and having some feathery adventures, has been replaced by a mangy mutt prowling around the back alleys of a bad part of town looking to score some meth or chew on a leg…whichever comes first or seems the most interesting.
While Whispering in a Mad Dog’s Ear will surprise Smith fans with it’s variety of subject matter; his mastery of the poem is still as strong and as true as it has ever been, in fact, in some cases his work is even stronger and more startling in its imagery and language.
The only problem with this book is how he will top it in his next collection!
Cover art by Llyn Foulkes, entitled Pop, 1985-1990
Layout design by Chris Yeseta
