City of Legends

The other day I was asked how many books I have had published and I had to guess.  I don’t think it is senility, yet, but just there’s been a few and some of them are far enough back that I forget them…so as much for my own edification as my audience’s…here’s the master list of my books

1.  PanthEon                                                        

ISBN #0-9659576-0-8

My first book, the Panther talked me into it as a predicate to my taking part in the Southern Poets’ Tour of 1996.  A lovely volume containing solid layout of about 70 of the poems from the Panther Cycles.  Out of print, but you can still find it in niche bookstores or occasionally on eBay.

3.  From an Unexpected Quarter                        

ISBN #0-5950023-1-5

Not really my second book, but this volume sucked up #2, "from out of the city", and added a hundred or more additional poems.  Despite some solid individual pieces, and the entirety of the Goldenheart Cycles, very uneven.  best know, perhaps, for the scandalous cover photo of my second wife, model Ann-Michelle.

4.  Love Gods of a Forgotten Religion                      

ISBN #0-5952225-2-8

The second book I did with Ann-Michelle gracing the cover, a stronger book overall that "from an unexpected quarter", some of my better work from that era.

5(a).  101 Great Love Poems (Hardbound)                

ISBN #0-5956540-2-9

My sole hardbound volume to date, a popular gift book, which is why I haven’t taken it out of circulation.  Truth be told, it’s several poems from the Panther Cycles, repackaged with a marketing-concept title.

5(b).  101 Great Love Poems (Softbound)                  

ISBN #0-5952588-2-4

The softbound edition of the book.

6.  INVOCATO                                                    

ISBN #1-4116293-1-0

My collection of some of my best works, not given the wide release of most of my other books, because I wanted to keep it to the hardcore fans.

7.  THE COMPLEAT PANTHER CYCLES                      

ISBN #1-4116379-4-1

All 640+ poems, with annotations and both cover and internal illustrations featuring goth model and recording artist Jillian Ann.  A massive book.

8.  The Morgantown Suite Poems                            

ISBN #1-4116337-4-1

Written over a period of several days to give my impressions of the West Virginia town where I spent my teen years.  Some lovely works.  Was disqualified from being used as a prize for a Poetry Out Loud competition because the subject matter of the poem "If your husband gets home".

9.  Ronin in the Temple Of Aphrodite                      

ISBN #978-1-4303042-5-8

A solid collection of muse-free romantic and erotic poems.  I took it out of circulation after the cover model decided she wanted to pick a fight with me, but plan to re-issue it with a new cover in the coming months(!).

10.  Psalms of the Monster River Cult                            

ISBN #978-1-4357072-8-3

Daniel S. McTaggart and I collaborated on this collection of poems about the Morgantown area, the people and culture.  It was fun and well worth the opportunity to work with my longtime poetic mountain poet friend.

11.  As such…                     

ISBN #978-1-4357144-8-9

During my very intense and public relationship with South African writer Candy Tothill, this volume, featuring her image on the cover and a foreword written by her, surfaced.  Intense, romantic, erotic and ultimately ironic as it debuted just days before she packed it in on the relationship.

12.  loveaddict                            

ISBN #978-0-5572839-0-3

Powerful, confessional and true.  The poetry of romantic obsession, of love, of lust of madness.  A very satisfying book to complete, although perhaps a bit inaccessible to my saner readers.

12.  Selected Poems and Passions:  2004-2011                           

ISBN #tbd

Going through a few last minute changes before it goes global, I would have to say this is my strongest book since "love gods…".  The last seven years of love, pain, madness and joy. 

Later this year, or maybe next, you get Apokalypsis, which will render these all moot.  I might even pull them all from publication.  I haven’t decided yet.