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WHISKEY DAYS (2010)
Tommy Gaffney
Publisher: Night Bomb Press
Paperback –
Release date: December 7, 2009
112 Pages~51 poems
ISBN: 978-0-9840842-0-3
USD $12.00 + Shipping
To purchase: http://www.nightbombpress.com/

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Tommy Gaffney was born and raised in Kentucky, somewhere between the projects and the trailer parks. In addition to Whiskey Days, he is the author of Three Beers from Oblivion (2006). His work has appeared in such anthologies as The Night Bomb Review, The Drunk Poets Society Anthology; Volume 2 and The Broken Word Anthology; Volumes 1 & 2. He has performed at the Insomniacathon, Wordstock, appeared on KBOO radio, and hosted the annual Artists Night Out Spoken Word Festival at Artists Repertory Theater. Gaffney's favorite colors are John Deere Green and Joey Ramone Black. Nowadays, you can often find him wandering the streets of Portland, Oregon.

FROM THE PUBLISHER:
Whiskey Days is the second book of poems and stories by Kentucky transplant Tommy Gaffney, a five-year veteran of the local writing community and long-time host of the reading at Tony’s Tavern. Gaffney begins where his first book, Three Beers from Oblivion left off, bridging the distance between his old roots and new home. The work is lit with the same bourbon tint and bluegrass drawl as always, though Whiskey Days shows the growing acumen of a more seasoned poet and storyteller.

FROM THE BOOK:
Banshee Time

Head for cover right around banshee time.
Dusk comes about like a fattened bottom lip,
pouting.
The willows pull in their ears
while lightning bugs hunt down
little kids to taunt.
Sonnets crawl into the dog-houses out back,
boarding spiders and prey
now that the half-breeds are dead.
It’s hard to feel brave in open fields,
no corner to back yourself into.
If genes were balls,
maybe I’d be tougher by now
instead of scared of the dark.
Harrods Creek pulls down its blinds.
The county locks away the mowers for the night
while bluegrass winks at cartographers.
Crickets clear their throat
and banshees tip-toe the starting line.

BLURBS & REVIEWS:
"Underneath the whiskey there’s a great poet here. ‘Grass Stains’ and ‘The Man Who Sold the World’ alone are worth the ride." - Willy Vlautin, author of Motel Life and Northline

“Gaffney recreates poverty without pity, bar fights ending in tears, poets waking at noon to blank paper breakfasts: wild events told in tight detail.” - Dan Raphael, author of Breath Test

http://www.portlandmercury.com/portland/the-littlest-palooza/Content?oid=2348051

 


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