Notes From The Bonfire

by Matt Nagin, Natasha Yearwood (Illustrations), Andrzej Jerzy Lech (Photographs)

In March of 2020, author Matt Nagin came down with coronavirus. Most of these poems were written during the five weeks he was trying to recover. They cover a range of subjects, although the overarching theme is the dystopian suffering unleashed by this global pandemic. The book also includes photography by Andrzej Jerzy Lech and illustrations by Natasha Yearwood. Interestingly enough, all three contributors were New York City residents at the time our home became the first U.S. epicenter, and, as result, the Big Apple is sort of the ghost in the machine, if you will, with the changes our city underwent often mirroring and compounding those within each contributor. Notes From The Bonfire is Nagin's third poetry collection and includes work previously published in Gravitas, The Organic Poet, and Poetry In The Time Of Coronavirus. Matt has been writing poetry for twenty-five years, particularly when in trying situations. This time was no different. Composing these poems, during his battle with this insidious virus, at the height of the first outbreak, offered Matt a unique perspective on the damage wrought by this horrific scourge. We created this book in the hope it would be of some use to the many going through an extremely trying period. With that in mind, a portion of all proceeds from book sales will be donated to Doctors Without Borders. Finally, the book is called Notes From The Bonfire for a number of reasons. One of those is we're hoping the cataclysmic fires of 2020 can be transformed into more of a purifying, celebratory bonfire. Additionally, the hope is that a few notes can be salvaged from all the wreckage, the chaos and destruction, that can make all we’ve endured more tolerable.

130 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2021

About the author

Matt Nagin is a writer and comedian. He has published five books. His most recent offering is "The Book of Outcasts," a short story collection. Matt's poem "If We Are Doomed" won the 2018 Spirit First Editor's Choice Award, and his story "The Failure" made Best of Across The Margin 2021. He's published other work in The Binnacle, Void Magazine, and the anthology "Rabbit Hole: Weird Stories Vol. 5. In 2019, his humor book, "Do Not Feed The Clown" was published by Tenth Street Press.

Matt is also a comedian who has performed standup in seven countries, on The Dr. Steve Show, and at The Edinburgh Comedy Festival. He has headlined shows throughout the Southeast, including at The Joke Joint Comedy Club and at a Festival of Fears showcase. He also wrote and directed the short film "Inside Job" that won Best Short at The Mediterranean Film Festival Cannes and Best Supporting Actor at The Nice International Film Festival. Finally, Matt spent several years as a Talent and Show Coordinator for The Gotham Comedy Foundation, a charitable organization that brings comedians into hospitals and senior centers. More info at http://www.mattnagin.com

Reviews

[Judy Ferrell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A look at the bad stuff.

With this collection Matt Nag in lets out all the bad feelings and all the bad things we all have to deal with. I found myself reading these and shaking my head yes over and over as he so easily expressed wheat I have seen and felt. The words flew through my soul and found the holes that were in my emotions that I didn't even know were there.

[Tania Pearl Pearl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrific read from a funny and complex author. Nagin's book of poems is an emotional roller-coaster that takes the reader on a ride through his personal dealings with Covid. He details his experiences with sickness and the quarantining at ground zero, NYC. He makes his escape to the deep south which unfolds a collection of other deep thoughts and follies. It is not all doom and gloom, reading through some of my favorite poems i.e. "The Virus that Hunted the Sun" one can tell, despite the morose mood there are specific lines that express how the tongue is firmly planted in cheek.
I really enjoyed reading this collection of poems and came away feeling an immediate connection to the author's experiences. I recommend this book for anyone trying to make sense of the last two years, whether you have enjoyed poetry in the past or not-I believe Bonfire will entertain even the poetry naysayers.

[Kat Geltch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Notes from the Bonfire is exactly what you’d expect from Nagin: smart, darkly funny, and unafraid to get real about the madness of the world. Written during the pandemic, it’s a collection that captures the weird, scary, and occasionally absurd moments of life under lockdown.

The poems aren’t just words on a page—they hit you with truth, humour, and a touch of rage. Some will make you snort-laugh, others make you pause and think, and a few might even make you want to scream at the ceiling. The photography and illustrations scattered through the book add another layer, giving it a multimedia feel that keeps you hooked.

If you like poetry that’s honest, clever, and a little bit savage, this is your jam. Bonus points that a portion of proceeds went to Doctors Without Borders—reading with a side of good karma.

[Hebru Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

Matt Nagin does it again…he had me from the prologue. Nagin has a very unique way of drawing you in. This title delivers a punch to the mind whilst tugging at your heartstrings. What you get here are poems that gives you an insight to current society and will probably leave you deliberating the things in life that are important versus things that aren’t.

Another unique, well written piece. Well done Matt, a well deserved 5 stars

[Lynn DeLong · Rating 5 out of 5]

A collection of poems dealing with the author’s thoughts and feelings during Covid.

With poems on a wide array of topics; such as Covid-19, acting, writing, and death; the reader gets a glimpse of this author’s 2020. “Anyone” adds an element of humor as Matt Nagin basically pokes fun at himself for writing and trying to sell poetry. “The day I got dumped” discusses the importance of finding yourself. “Restless” speaks to the small questioning voice inside us all.

Accompanying the poems are black and white photographs and hand drawings. The images invoked by the poems are disturbing, and relatable. I consider a “good poem” one that makes the reader feel, or connect to the images evoked by the author. While reading this book, I felt. I connected.

I received this book for free for this review.

[Rose Ashby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nagin has assembled a collection of poems that is at once unflinching, vulnerable & vastly substantive. Notes From the Bonfire examines the turbulence and mayhem of the moment, while honoring the clarity that accompanies the forced retrospect of quarantine. Nagin never tiptoes around these hardships, but instead hurls himself in the face of it with powerful results.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Turns out, the Bonfire had a little bit of everything.

Hope, madness, illusions, allusions... I enjoyed reading through this collection of poems written during - but not overly fixated on - the pandemic. And bits and pieces keep coming back to me in the weeks after like the best poems do.