Red Giant Books - Independent Publisher of literary fiction, non-fiction and poetry

A heartfelt, witty, and deeply personal poetic homage to Bob Dylan, this collection explores the enduring influence of one of America’s great musical storytellers. Blending humor, memory, cultural observation, and genuine affection, the poems draw inspiration not only from Dylan’s songs and lyrics, but from the spirit of reinvention that has defined his work for generations. Beginning with a childhood encounter with Dylan’s music and following that influence through family, friendship, music, and the strange events of 2020, the collection is as much a memoir of becoming a lifelong listener as it is a tribute to Dylan himself. Some poems directly engage with Dylan’s songs, while others simply wander into the territory he has helped make familiar: the absurd, the political, the personal, the mysterious, and the beautifully unresolved. For anyone who has ever discovered a song that became part of their life, these poems offer a new home for old words—and an invitation to hear Bob Dylan’s music, and perhaps the world itself, a little differently.

AMERICAN STYLE HAIKU AND SENRYU Many of the poems in this collection are not haiku in the strictest sense. Yes, they are composed of three short lines in the present tense releasing a moment of revelation — outsight insight — in short, a verbal rendering of the “aha” moment of zen awareness. And they often depict that intersection between human and nature. But they do not employ a 5-7-5 syllable format which is, anecdotally anyway, the first response for a layman’s definition of the form.  Nor do they have a “kigo”, or season word – in traditional Haiku one word from a set list to denote the time of year in which the poem occurs, for instance “frog” for spring. Neither do they use the “cutting” word, a verbal particle to accentuate the juxtaposition of images which usually occurs at the end of the second line; although they do occasionally use a dash to that effect. Many of the poems here could be called senryu, comic haiku that describe incidents of human nature.        I feel compelled to mention this to warn off purists’ criticisms.  These are American English haiku/senryu. I make no claim otherwise.  Those seeking traditional…

Kin to Penny Lane’s most postmodern of moments (though she feels as if she’s in a play / she is anyway) Chuck Joy’s Theme Of Line is much more than the sum of its parts. Its thematic narrative is driven by an engaging lyricism familiar to followers of his work and, though he may posit a cartoon life, no one, but no one, gets away without paying the piper. Cue the klaxon horn, sisters and brothers. Chuck Joy holds up the mirror, daring you to take a long, deep look. To which I say double down, pass it on. Don Wentworth, Editor, Lilliput Review   Joy’s Theme Of Line swims in waves of an unique undulation. Observations on “life, the suffering outside my picture window”. Laden with images drawn from his own imagination, “oddly twisted that foot, to an angle unavailable in life”. Life in lines. Thought as poetry. “Poetry, a powerful and nonspecific consciousness enhancer”. Observations on all things, dear to us and things “far enough away to recognize our insignificance”. “Fasten Your Seat Belt”. Enjoy the ride. Cee Williams, Director, Poets’ Hall Chuck’s poems have appeared in Great Lakes Review, Ampersand Review, Crisis Chronicles, Lilliput Review, Chiron Review, Tobeco, JAMA, Intentionalwalkreview.com, Cotyledon, Rattapallax, Tempus,…

Russell Atkins, winner of the Cleveland Arts Prize 2017 Lifetime Achievement Award winner is a poet, playwright, composer and editor. Born in Cleveland in 1926, Atkins was raised by his mother, grandmother and aunt on the city’s east side. Perhaps best known for his work at Karamu House, considered the oldest African American theater in the United States, Atkins studied at Cleveland College, Cleveland Music School Settlement, Cleveland School of Arts and the Cleveland Institute of Music. In 1950, Atkins co-founded Free Lance: A Magazine of Poetry and Prose with friend Adelaide Simon. The first issue contained an introduction by Langston Hughes, and Free Lance continued under Atkins’ leadership for more than two decades.  In the Company of Russell Aktins includes previously unpublished work by Russell and a collection of poems from the literary community of Cleveland and beyond as an homage to his genius.  

“Michael Salinger is one of the most gifted and loved performance poets on the circuit today, and like his other poetry, Well Defined has the style and attitude that young readers love.  This approach to vocabulary can’t help but succeed because each poem’s story leaves an indelible image in the reader’s mind.  Noah Webster is surely smiling.” James Blasingame, Associate Professor, Department of English Education, Arizona State University Winner of the IRA Arbuthnot Award “The personifications are witty and evocative, and the vocabulary is choice enough that the explorations will be intriguing to veteran users and novices alike.” The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books  “The poems are as well-intentioned as they are well-written.” Voice of Youth Advocates

In her smart and sparkling new collection of poem, From the Park Bench, Sara Holbrook deftly switches personas from poet to provocateur, from teacher to trickster and from literary gumshoe to a shimmering shaman of the Spoken Word.  Her work will be treasured by open-hearted children of all ages for years to come. -Michael Heaton, Minister of Culture, author, screenwriter

Leading American poet and international performing artist Ray McNiece has crafted a soaring love song for his hometown.  Adding to the melody are Tim Lachina’s black and white photos that capture the beauty, struggle and grit of a city reinventing itself.  This book is for anyone who has ever experienced the conflicted love for a city that is a symbol of post-industrial decline and its proud and resilient citizens who came the shores of Lake Erie in search of a better life, working in the mills, machine shops, and factories and living under the acrid cloud of industrial production.  

Salinger’s writing is like a bear in the kitchen, tearing into the tender truth of everyday life with unpredictable swipes from sharp linguistic claws “capable of ripping through a refrigerator’s skin.”  A grappling hook in a stingray, a red-tailed hawk on a bark covered fence post, an outdated pack of Twizzlers – Salinger describes familiar images with “the choreographed precision of slow motion pistons,” scientifically accurate and unsentimentally clear.