O Death, O Death

"With undeniable intelligence, wit, and plenty of dark humor, Justin Hamm wrestles with mortality in his latest chapbook, O Death. Eschewing easy answers, these poems take a decidedly individualistic approach: "I'm only going where I want to go," proclaims the speaker. Ultimately, this collection is a brief testament to one man's pursuit of self-knowledge through "the cobwebby dark underneath" where the wish for returning with "fists full of everything that was taken," is acknowledged to be futile, but nevertheless, worth the fight." -Frank Paino, author of Pieta and Obscura "Through masterful erasure, Justin Hamm whittles works by literary and Delta Blues luminaries into spare bones-scaffolds upon which he hangs portraits of his inner world alongside tableaus of his beloved Midwest. Hear the slide guitar accompanying Hamm's plea in "Prayer to the Absent Father." In "Communion," feel the laughter passed around like bottles of beer to counter despair. Hamm's poems insist we remember everyone and everything that is lost while simultaneously wondering what comes next. They sing the possibilities of songs we need right now." -Amy Baskin, author of Night Hag and SKULL "Erasure poetry only works when you choose the right text to draw from. Though Justn Hamm's O Death takes its roots from the work of several different authors, it all comes together as one voice, Hamm's. What is left over on the page is heart, it is struggle, it is joy, it is lament and a true sense of the modern cultural landscape. In short, while the original authors may well have planted the seeds that make up this book, Justin Hamm has tended the garden and these poems, which are now solely his, have sprung up all around him and have become a rare thing of beauty." -John Dorsey, author of Pocatello Wildflower