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New Poets of America
Falling to Earth
A bemused, stoop-shouldered figure who is more than a mere speaker—let’s call him a protagonist—stalks the poems of Falling to Earth. With candor and an almost grandiose simplicity, Hansen describes the limitations of his middle-aged body and, in so doing, the limitations of his enterprise in mid-life: the gracelessness of survival. Falling to Earth is the journey of a vibrant soul refreshing itself poem by poem.—Molly Peacock, from her foreword
Tom Hansen taught writing and literature for 35 years before retiring to the Black Hills of South Dakota. His credits include Paris Review, The Iowa Review, and The American Scholar.
Tom Hansen taught writing and literature for 35 years before retiring to the Black Hills of South Dakota. His credits include Paris Review, The Iowa Review, and The American Scholar.
- GenresPoetry
96 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2006
18 people want to read
About the author
Tom Hansen
49 books56 followersSeattle author TOM HANSEN was born in September of 1961 and died of cancer August 24th of 2023. He was born in Seattle and raised by devoted adoptive parents in nearby Edmonds, Washington. As an adult, Hansen learned his biological father was the renowned Seattle painter, Jack Stangle, (1927-1980).
Hansen was a champion competitive skateboarder all through the 1970s, when the sport was becoming more popular. He graduated from Deadmonds High School in 1979, and later became a pioneer in the early Grunge music scene, which eventually led to him signing with an Indie label. He was a member of the pioneering Seattle punk band The Fartz from 1980-1981, the Refuzors from 1981-1982, On The Rocks from 1984-1985, Crotch Rockets from 1986-1987 and Crisis Party from 1988-1991. While playing with Crisis Party, the band was signed with Metal Blade Records, which put out an album that was well-received in the punk music community.
After getting clean from drugs May 26, 1999, Hansen studied at Antioch University in Seattle, and later completed an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, in 2008. Hansen’s first book, a memoir, 'American Junkie,' is a brutally honest nonfiction account of his challenging life as a heroin addict and drug dealer in Seattle all during the late 1980s and the 1990s, where he acted as a supplier to rock star Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana, among other well-known Seattle residents.
After consulting with a Portland author friend, Theresa Griffin Kennedy, who strongly encouraged him to republish his books independently, Hansen arranged to have his 2010 memoir American Junkie republished by Soft Skull Press in January of 2017. The memoir was later adapted for the stage by Book-it Repertory Theatre in 2019 with a limited run of evening and matinee performances. His 2013 novel 'This Is What We Do' was also republished in 2019 by Counterpoint Press. Hansen wrote for the online writing website, The Nervous Breakdown and several other writing outlets and literary reviews.
His last published click was an online published profile with Shepherd for Authors, a couple of years before his death. In the click, Hansen listed his favorite books as, Angels: A Novel, by Denis Johnson, A Hell of a Woman, by Jim Thompson, Baise-Moi, by Virginia Despentes and translated by Bruce Benderson, Christiane F: An autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict, by Christiane F. and translated by Susanne Flatauer, and Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, by Luke Davies. Hansen was working on a much anticipated new novel, Cowboys of Doom, which he was not able to finish before he passed away surrounded by friends and loved ones during the summer of 2023.
Hansen was a champion competitive skateboarder all through the 1970s, when the sport was becoming more popular. He graduated from Deadmonds High School in 1979, and later became a pioneer in the early Grunge music scene, which eventually led to him signing with an Indie label. He was a member of the pioneering Seattle punk band The Fartz from 1980-1981, the Refuzors from 1981-1982, On The Rocks from 1984-1985, Crotch Rockets from 1986-1987 and Crisis Party from 1988-1991. While playing with Crisis Party, the band was signed with Metal Blade Records, which put out an album that was well-received in the punk music community.
After getting clean from drugs May 26, 1999, Hansen studied at Antioch University in Seattle, and later completed an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia, in 2008. Hansen’s first book, a memoir, 'American Junkie,' is a brutally honest nonfiction account of his challenging life as a heroin addict and drug dealer in Seattle all during the late 1980s and the 1990s, where he acted as a supplier to rock star Kurt Cobain of the band Nirvana, among other well-known Seattle residents.
After consulting with a Portland author friend, Theresa Griffin Kennedy, who strongly encouraged him to republish his books independently, Hansen arranged to have his 2010 memoir American Junkie republished by Soft Skull Press in January of 2017. The memoir was later adapted for the stage by Book-it Repertory Theatre in 2019 with a limited run of evening and matinee performances. His 2013 novel 'This Is What We Do' was also republished in 2019 by Counterpoint Press. Hansen wrote for the online writing website, The Nervous Breakdown and several other writing outlets and literary reviews.
His last published click was an online published profile with Shepherd for Authors, a couple of years before his death. In the click, Hansen listed his favorite books as, Angels: A Novel, by Denis Johnson, A Hell of a Woman, by Jim Thompson, Baise-Moi, by Virginia Despentes and translated by Bruce Benderson, Christiane F: An autobiography of a Girl of the Streets and Heroin Addict, by Christiane F. and translated by Susanne Flatauer, and Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction, by Luke Davies. Hansen was working on a much anticipated new novel, Cowboys of Doom, which he was not able to finish before he passed away surrounded by friends and loved ones during the summer of 2023.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 10, 2022
A beautiful collection, playful yet dark and wry.
February 14, 2010
Throughout the first half of this book, I was ready to give it four stars. Witty wordplay, intense work with sounds. And then I read the second half, in which the poet tries to teach me something. Don't teach me things, poets. Just don't. I will take a star away from you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews