Work Ethic

by Tim Paggi

POEMS BY TIM PAGGI

Book printed and bound by Ink Press Productions with two covers, both letter press printed. Inner cover comes in hot green or pink.

Cover art by Kaitlin Murphy.

Tim Paggi's WORK ETHIC is so fun and stylish that only hours later did I notice how many of his turns of phrase had gotten stuck in my throat. These unflinching poems churn with the nouns of both contemporary distraction and age-old dread: "One french fry stands apart / from a hill of old receipts, / thinking 'I should feel crisp and golden, / but I'm soggy with death and grease.'" Let's all gorge on this doomed and true chapbook and then email Paggi and let him know how we feel.

-Gabe Durham, author of FUN CAMP (Publishing Genius, 2013)

31 pages, Paperback

First published January 30, 2014

About the author

Tim Paggi is a horror writer, poet, playwright and performer from Baltimore, MD. He is the author of "How to Kill Friends and Eviscerate People" and the forthcoming "The Other Side of the Hallway." He holds an MFA in Creative Writing and Publication Arts from the University of Baltimore, and serves as associate editor for Bruiser Mag.

Reviews

[Tyler Crumrine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tim Paggi's poems invite you to crack his candy coating and chew long and hard on the gummy center. Natural and artificial flavors mix with citric acidic as his monologues seep deeper and deeper into your bloodstream. Hold on too tightly and their colors will stain your hands. Good luck washing them off.

[Tracy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm the right hand woman of Amanda McCormick at Ink Press Productions, so of course I love this book.

Tim is both heartfelt (All time’s an ocean,/and we're expert swimmers./I love being a fish with you.) and cuttingly smart (Be animal,/be American/with flags uproarious/and baseboards shattered.). I've been drooling over his wordplay since participating in poetry workshops with him over a year ago. His poems ooze natural sincerity.

Plus, Amanda had the genius idea to press an outer cover without ink, then Tim's friend Kaitlin Murphy drew the inner cover, which we sent to Boxcar to become a plate, then letterpress printed.

I'm so happy Tim chose to work with us as his publisher. We worked with him for 10 months to make this beautiful baby book a reality. Phew, I finally got to make my birth joke.

[Rupert · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that is both a pleasure to read and hold. Ink Press treats their writers right, embracing their words in letterpress and fine bright papers. Paggi's poems are burbling and ebullient, even when he's laying down a bummer. Perhaps all the glorious ice cream and snack references help.

[Michael B Tager · Rating 4 out of 5]

You want to read some poetry that abuses the English language in beautiful ways? Find a copy of Paggi's book, Work Ethic, and take your time reading it. It's worth it.