Though I am the author of the book of poems, my wife, Jennifer Jill Wootton, is the true sole author of this poem book. Jennifer Jill Wootton passed in August of 2017, struggling from the fight against incurable lung cancer that eventually took her life. But she truly fought the fight with each breath of life to hang on and stay with us. She had the gift of love and forgiveness as her poems made so much sense even though she suffered. To know Jennifer is to love Jennifermy true beauty, as are her poems.

Though I am the author of the book of poems, my wife, Jennifer Jill Wootton, is the true sole author of this poem book. Jennifer Jill Wootton passed in August of 2017, struggling from the fight against incurable lung cancer that eventually took her life. But she truly fought the fight with each breath of life to hang on and stay with us. She had the gift of love and forgiveness as her poems made so much sense even though she suffered. To know Jennifer is to love Jennifer--my true beauty, as are her poems.

Stand Tall! Sgt. Pop’s Poems for Veterans & Their Friends & Families By: Sgt Pops Stand Tall! Sgt Pops’ Poems for Veterans & Their Friends & Families is a collection of poems written originally for Sgt Pops to understand the feelings he experienced both in and after returning from Vietnam. He wants veterans of all wars to know they’re not alone – that others have the same post-combat or post-military service “demons” to confront. It is his hope that friends and family members can better understand why veterans seem to have changed so radically from the way they were before serving in the military and especially in combat.

A suite of poems about a percussionist in 1970 Spanish Harlem music circles, from the author of The Crazy Bunch A National Book Critics Circle 2014 Finalist for Poetry Through dream song and elegy, alternate takes and tempos, prizewinning poet Willie Perdomo’s third collection crackles with vitality and dynamism as it imagines the life of a percussionist, rebuilding the landscape of his apprenticeship, love, diaspora, and death. At the beginning of his infernal journey, Shorty Bon Bon recalls his live studio recording with a classic 1970s descarga band, sharing his recollection with an unidentified poet. This opening section is followed by a call-and-response with his greatest love, a singer named Rose, and a visit to Puerto Rico that inhabits a surreal nationalistic dreamscape, before a final jam session where Shorty recognizes his end and a trio of voices seek to converge on his elegy.