What Shot Did You Ever Take

by Brian Oliu, Jason McCall

In this collaborative gut-punch of a poetry collection, Brian Oliu and Jason McCall tackle their homage to the Rocky movies from fresh and exciting angles, reflecting on the closely-held archetypes of heroes and villains, the impact of media on culture and childhood, boxing, Black experience in America, and the ways we seek out and reckon with our battered and glistening American dream. In alternating swings and hits, the two poets speak to a collective fan experience through the personal. This is a collection that will leave you breathless on the floor.

37 pages, Paperback

Published June 15, 2021

About the author

Brian Oliu currently lives in Saint Paul, Minnesota. His publications include three chapbooks and five full-length collections of nonfiction, ranging on topics from Craigslist Missed Connections, to computer viruses, to the arcade game NBA Jam. He has two projects forthcoming in 2021: a collaborative chapbook on the Rocky films with the poet Jason McCall, “What Shot Did You Ever Take,” by The Hunger Press, and a full-length collection of essays, “Body Drop: Notes on Fandom and Pain in Professional Wrestling” by The University of North Carolina Press.