Ground Bound: A Novel in Verse

by Chad M. Christensen

Blondie is drunk and living high on the plains. He wanders the hills and bars with his girl (we never learn her name) and his best friend Happy. They all drink too much and have a bit of a cocaine problem but their need for the brutal truth is of the utmost importance.

Genres: Poetry

136 pages, Paperback

First published December 20, 2012

About the author

Chad M. Christensen is the managing editor of the WSC Press, director of the Plains Writers Series, and a professor at Wayne State College, where he teaches publishing and creative writing. His books of lo-fi poetry are Ground Bound and Shoot From the Hip, and his latest poems have appeared in Sugar House Review and Plainsongs. He also writes a column for The Big Smoke called “Boy with Shovel.” He lives north of Omaha, Ne.

Reviews

[Eurydactyl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty realism. It reads like the diary of a man who you never would suspect has a diary. Each piece stands solidly on it's own, as well as supports the pieces around it, and more importantly they all ring true. Speaking of ringing:

"what a strange device, I thought / a phone / you bring this plastic device up to your head / your ear / and ya listen / and it tells you things like / this is your mother / how are things? / is your brother there? / did he make it? / and fuck / that's a lot to take / you know" ~ chapter twenty-four, lines 37-49