Six. Rounds. with. a. Gun.Slinger. is currently seeking a publisher. This is a complete manuscript of six rounds of poetry which plays with music and space, while making frequent reference to Ed Dorn’s classic volume Gunslinger, which inspired this project.

From the Introduction:

      This is more than a response to Ed Dorn’s Gunslinger. It is a response to the voice of Ed Dorn, Arthur Rimbaud, Dennis Tedlock and many other accomplished authors and artists through echoes in time and old recordings. If “one good turn deserves another,” I hope Six. Rounds. with. a. Gun.slinger.  accomplishes this. Dorn and Tedlock have been especially influential to my writing as a poet and my thinking as an individual.

      I would like to note, for the more casual reader, that each ‘round’ of this book takes advantage of a unique poetic technique, with the exception of round IV, which uses two. The form is meant to correspond with the text. For example, in “Journey of the Murderer (A Long Journey into the Poetic),” a line of poetry has systematically been eliminated after every existing line of poetry. These are somewhat representative of the shells that fly out of a revolver as it is fired.

      This book deals with questions of identity, belonging, philosophy and Popular Culture. References span many generations and while I do not expect complete understanding of all references, I hope to generate a space of comfort and entertainment for all readers, casual, critical or those who are somewhere in the empty shells.

      In “The Gunslinger Unravels (Bullet Number Three)” there are many references to a poet named Cecilia Vicuña. If you are unfamiliar with her work, I recommend you find a copy of her book Unravelling Words and the Weaving of Water (or any other book she has published for that matter) and find a video of one of her performances online, not only because they shed light on my own writing, but also because they shed light on the very world in which we live.

      In addition, you really should pick up a copy of Gunslinger by Ed Dorn. Even if you only read Parts I & II, this project will make a great deal more sense. I am “looking through” the fabric of Gunslinger in order to present a new vision of the world. Similarly, Finding the Center by Dennis Tedlock could prove illuminating.

      They say “write what you know” and I never met Ed Dorn, but I am grateful for his work and voice. Long May You Run¹ my Gunslinger. Say hi to digger for me.