N: Poems and Stories

by A. Lynn Blumer, Gray Phillips, Troy Graham

In the land of evergreens, northerners find themselves downcast from the immense snow and lack of sunlight during arduous winter months. Time after time, these hearty folk bundle up and face the elements head-on.

However, not all can cope. Many find themselves buried beneath frigid snowfall, unable to dig themselves out. Many fall upon vices to endure this winter delirium.

Others take a pen and paper to write their madness away.

185 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

About the author

A. Lynn Blumer lives in Michigan's Upper Peninsula where she enjoys the outdoors just as much as her smoke-laden writing station. The last five years have been devoted to developing her poetry and independent publishing business, but prose remains her chief interest.

Owner of Pyre Publishing

Reviews

[Janie]

In all fairness, I cannot rate this book. I devoured and digested the first section, which was written entirely by A. Lynn Blumer. To this section I offer four well-earned stars. A.'s poetry is tenacious, scrappy and courageous. It emerges from the remains of undead mines, from cold closets with bare bulbs and from smoky bars that serve monsters. A. draws wastelands where witches burn and art is broken. She shouts with a voice that is raw and determined. One of my favorite parts:

"Lead me out of this particular corner. Bring me out bare. Feel free to stare. I don't blink in the face of fear if you can get me there."

This writer is a contender.

[Arthur Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the interest of full disclosure, I should probably state upfront that Blumer is a friend of mine, and that we both hail from the same wintry northwoods of Michigan's Upper Peninsula, or "da U.P." as it's locally known. So, while I left the area years ago, both of us are Yoopers, and Yoopers stick together I suppose, though usually it's just necessary for staying warm up there. In any case, I'll try not to let my affinity for her or her home overly influence this review, but I doubt it will be easy.

Blumer writes from the gut, and her gut is full of grit, like one of those crows you see swooping in the morning mist. Of course, I don't mean to imply she has a gizzard (though she might for all I know), but rather that she certainly doesn't shy away from the grittier side of things. Whether exploring the entropic realities of small town life or the tragedies of socially ingrained homophobia, she keeps things visceral and raw, lyrical passages evocative of all the wild wonder and silent struggles that might be difficult to understand for those accustomed to living in less harsh, less isolated environments. There is a certain sharp-edged beauty known only to those denizens of the frost-bound forest, and Blumer seems to have tuned into this duality with her words. Maybe I'm just biased because I used to live there myself, but for me this hit pretty close to home.

There were a handful of minor typos in my copy, but that's to be expected in these initial publishing efforts, and there weren't so many as to detract from the experience. Perhaps some of them were artistic choices. I know fuck all about poetry, after all, as my ex-wife would often remind me whenever I brought up Bukowski.

I've still yet to read any of the other three authors included, but I'll be sure to update this review if and when I finally get around to that. In the meantime, I'm pretty sure this book isn't available from anywhere else besides Blumer herself, so shoot her a message here if you'd like to get your hands on a copy. I'm told that another volume is forthcoming, and just in time for the snows up there, too, so now would be a good time to sample what these shivering scribblers have to offer.

[Nate Meadows · Rating 4 out of 5]

"I am unkind to myself in unkind weather" - Tom Samsa. A perfect read for this time of year, I devoured this book as the great beast February devoured the world outside my window. It contains poems and stories from four very different Northern Michigan voices. I thank all four of your kindred souls for helping pass a few gloomy winter days. Amanda Lynn Blumer and Gray Phillips were more my personal style, but I found many things to like about Troy Graham and Tom Samsa's work as well. Favorites include Blumer's "Noughtree" and "A Pallor Patience", Graham's "Jane Gloom", Phillips' "Coffe Shop Beats One", and Samsa's "Wendigo of Wall Street".