Rod Dreher Praises The Violent and the Fallen

Last month, Rod Dreher discussed two of the poems from my forthcoming book, The Violent and the Fallen, on his blog at The American Conservative.  Dreher writes,

when I read these poems, I kept thinking, “Yes, that’s how it is!” They are the work of a serious, literate, gifted young poet, one whose Catholic faith shines through every line. I encourage you to order your copy now, because the print run will depend on advance orders.

If he finds my poems true, my publisher finds his last sentence even truer.  The Violent and the Fallen goes to press at the end of September, and the total run will be calculated based on the pre-publication sales figures.  The more sold now, the more copies available for those poor, solitary creatures who may discover my work weeks, months, or years from now and desire to buy a copy.  Your support is, in that magnanimous sense, a sign of your commitment to the conserving of a cultural treasure for the good of future generations!

As Dreher writes in his second post, many of us may be tempted in this cosmically disordered age to withdraw into ourselves like stoics:

This [poem, “A Note for Ecclesiastes”] speaks to me, and speaks words of accusation against me, regarding the unwisdom in trying to empty the mystery out of all things through intellection. What a great poem.

Is it not, after all, better to give of ourselves, acknowledging the goodness and wonder of creation and seeking to diffuse it ever more widely (by way of small poetry press chapbooks)?  Does not true wisdom teach us to make ourselves vulnerable to what is true, good, beautiful — and reasonably priced?

If your answer to those questions is “Yes,” then let me invite you to click here and reserve your copy of The Violent and the Fallen today.

For those still in need of persuasion, you can find more advance praise and learn more about the book here.