Back in February 2012 I noted here that my collection of three long narrative poems, Marked Men, had been accepted by Turning Point. I expected it this fall, but the publisher has taken me by surprise and released it early. Their press release appears below.
In case you find the release hard to read, let me post the comments from the back of the book. I’m grateful for the two poets who saw fit to say such good things about it:
“Marked Men is a book where truth finally catches up with history. Deeply researched, with language unmatched by any I’ve seen, this is a work honest in its depth, alive with past and present worlds, with old ghosts, and powerful layers of our landscape. Even if you think you know the history of Sand Creek, this book will grab you up and carry you off by the scruff of the neck. Read it, and remember the stories in this land, still walking on our streets, and still alive.”
“Since the earliest times the poet has been our first historian, telling the stories that make us who were are. In Marked Men Joseph Hutchison reminds us just how dark, how bloody the history of the ‘New World’ has been. But the longest of his three powerful poems is not just a story about the deep vein of hatred and prejudice leading to the Sand Creek Massacre of 1864. It is also a portrait of decent resistance in the person of Silas Soule and his friend Ned Wynkoop. This book deepens and complicates our national story. It is written in blood and the fire of indignation.”
Marked Men is available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and the Turning Point site. In fact, it has already been reviewed on Amazon by the excellent poet, fictioneer, memoirist, and historian Michael Hogan. See Michael’s review here, and please—be sure to click the “Yes” button at the end of the review in answer to the question, “Was this review helpful to you?” Believe it or not, six or more “yes” clicks gets Marked Men picked up by search engines like Google. Hey, I’m a poet—I need all the help I can get!