JASON IRWIN

http://live.libraries.psu.edu/Mediasite/Play/30e2b5a6352e45f0b561536e4acf39f31d?catalog=8376d4b2-4dd1-457e-a3bf-e4cf9163feda

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9XBENm6QF4&t=2s

I've long been a fan of Jason Irwin's work, ever since his first chapbook, Some Days It's a Love Story, which absolutely blew me away. It actually beat a collection of mine out for a prize, and it deserved to. All of his books have been solid. Irwin tends to write personal poems about his life experiences, which, on the surface, sounds pretty straight-forward. But Irwin has had quite a life. He has seen truly hard times, and he's chosen to share with us the lessons he's learned, dealing with profound issues like trauma and death, while avoiding navel gazing. 

A Blister of Stars does not disappoint. Irwin writes about his childhood, deeply personal poems about illness and poverty, with the underlying theme of economic instability brought about by the dying of the rust belt, a common theme in Irwin's writing. As a reader, you are present with Irwin as he faces life-threatening sickness and terrifying operations, while across the street, the neighbors are shooting …

http://www.observertoday.com/news/2017/10/dunkirk-native-uses-poetry-to-overcome-adversities/

Thanks Damian!