POEM HUNTERS will be available for sale at the March 18 launch at Drifters Cafe & Bar in Bandra. Join me there at 12 pm for fantastic beer (I dig their IPA) and food. And support my launch by taking home a limited edition print!

The earliest joy from my youth was collecting agates, fossils, and other curiosities from beaches on the Oregon coastline. The thrill of finding something orange and glowing on the tide line was intoxicating. And there were quite a few times when I was on my hands and knees and digging through the sand, letting the waves do the washing off of the stones for me, always in search of something hidden from the view of regular beach strollers. Later when I discovered writing and especially poetry, I embarked on a practice that simulated this joy of rockhounding - a practice that I could perform anywhere I happened to be.

Writing a poem is very much like hunting for agates...a lot of work can go into it and nothing can come of it. But sometimes, there's a patch of gravel uncovered by the tides revealing treasures that beckon to be collected before they vanish again for a millennium. The visual arts found me later in life but I see all my creative efforts tied together in one long and winding narrative dating back to when I was six years old. The joy of creating imagery is no different to me than collecting colorful stones. The art of street photography, my source imagery for much of what I do, is very much the practice of digging through the sand to find the most brilliant specimens.

Sign up for my newsletter for pre-ordering on March 14 - 18. A 20% discount is available as well for those who attend the launch.