180 pages of prose poetry and a play; Puff Puff explores a myriad of different struggles. As writers, we cast our dull hand grenades into the muffling dark. Some writers want their voices heard, a legacy, something to be proud of before kidney or liver failure, others are writing under pen names afraid to be heard but predominantly this is a book on struggle. Everything about this book has been a struggle. We are the starving artists that the homeless on the corner have whispered about - eating saltines and tuna - writing poetry in roach infested motel rooms. I'm not even exaggerating when I say one of our brilliant editors was homeless for a time reading submissions for this anthology. We are Poetry, Writing, and English graduates. Which is just one step away from a career bartending. We looked for the seldom seen, voices from the gutter like spinning magnets trying to capture the push and pull of struggle - drugs - alcohol - death - sex - the struggles of life to give something more to the readers, if any readers, in a print anthology. Why print and not web? Because we are new age luddites, scrawling stories in charcoal pens, and writing soliloquies in small sonnet rooms. If I had a typewriter I would use it. Hell, if I had a press I would bind homemade paper together with forget-me-nots. But now, people only read webzines and online articles of short columns that they are comfortable with. It takes a thousand webzines to get the notice that any one mid-grade porn site can expect. We have all become anonymous scrolling down pages, across realistic digital book leaves looking at anonymous people, reading their work and watching them give head. It sickens me. So in print, here we have names to the voices, yes some fake, but names nonetheless. Disheartening, but it does give you the readers' better targets to cast your ire and lawn darts at. contents: Prose Fiction: David Swykert Zarina Zabrisky Philip Kobylarz Non-Fiction: Stella Rimmer Donal Mahoney Prose poetry: Zarina Zabrisky and Simon Rogghe William Hicks Poetry: Alex Damov Gale Acuff Adrienne Wallner William Hicks John Vanek Carl Palmer Grant Tarbard Eileen Malone Donal Mahoney Michael Lee Johnson Erin York Anthony Villett Marc Carver Richard Downing Joseph William Burrows Play: Evan Guilford-Blake
About the Author: Joseph William Burrows has his degree in writing. Published in off brand journals, webzines and bathroom stalls, Joseph is striving to write quality literature. which is a struggle sometimes.