Praise
The Insomnia Poems new from Flutter Press
The exquisite pain of loneliness and dread of going to bed alone are captured all too well in The Insomnia Poems by Harry Calhoun. Brooding about his wife's absence, the death of his parents, and his inability to sleep through the night, he's easy to picture: lying in bed, restless, suddenly sitting, groping for his glasses, and jotting down his tortured thoughts. All the while, his beloved black lab Alex holds the key to Calhoun's sanity, his mournful howl, his grinning presence, his solid nearby slumber. Somehow Calhoun gets through, and realizes "You'll sleep until you wake / you'll live until you die / and what matters is what happens in between / and what you dream." A masterfully-written collection from a poet who has never been afraid to examine the deepest, darkest, scariest part of his soul. -- Robin Stratton, editor, Boston Literary Magazine
The Black Dog and the Road
I'm enjoying your book very much... I enjoy how all of the poems read together- one to the next- they are placed nicely in your manuscript... very fluid writing and thought provoking. I also really loved the poem Rock Star, for Bukowski... I'm so happy for your success. -- Carol Lynn Grellas
I knew Bukowski like you knew a rare leaf
I read some of your stuff and found it quite good! -- Garth Stein, author of The Art of Racing in the Rain
Your poetry is so real and easy to relate to. I don't know how anyone could read your work and still say "I don't get poetry." -- Shirley Allard, editor, Word Catalyst
A sip or a gulp -- it's all pleasure ... Calhoun's poems are accessible as my best-loved sweater, yet filled with quiet astonishments. -- Hillary Hebert, writer
I really enjoyed your book. I admire the fact that at this stage in your life you can write with a tone that is uplifting much of the time, even jubilant. It made me feel good to read something like that for a change. I know there are a lot of damaging memories mixed in, but the narrator in that work manages to rise above it all. -- Tim Peeler, editor, Third Lung Press
Sometimes we float through somber memories that leave us uneasy, wrestling with soft spoken demons that seem more like old friends than nightmares. Then, in a few lines we find ourselves scratching behind the ear of man’s best friend, at ease with the world. It is this mixture of light and dark, ease and unease, now and then, that keep you moving through Mr. Calhoun’s world. -- Rusty Arquette, writer
