Several of these poems have appeared elsewhere throughout the last few years: "BeAt ThA DUh" appeared in the Writers Place Yearbook: An Anthology of Writing by Writers Place Members, 2023. "Glaucon, Revisited," "A Series of Japanese Techniques to Make Life Better," and "Eating Korean Pork & Kimchi & Rice at Christmas in the End Times" appeared in The Gasconade Review Presents: No One Sees the Irony from OAC Press in 2024.
"Homily," "Be Sure to Know the Names of Your Flowers Before Your Garden is Gone," as well as several other philosophical-poetical pieces were self-published in various forms over the years or took the form of calligraffiti and graffiti in different places and on multiple windows and walls in community colleges, art studios, whiteboards, and in alleys in Jackson, and Wyandotte counties from 2017 to 2024.
As always, I am indebted to Jason Ryberg for helping bring this project to life, and I thank him for his editorial input in this process-also, Spartan Press and the folks at Prospero’s Bookstore. I want to thank and acknowledge my dear friends Jose Faus and Dee Jimenez aka MC Sorcerer of Kaczynski Composite Sketch, for their unflagging personal and professional support and for some of the richest friendships of my life. I also want to acknowledge Maria Vasquez Boyd, CGP, my Mom, & SUNY Oneonta Garry Noland, Craig Auge, Cathy Schrag, the Stojanovic family (every last one of them), my Gram, Tom P & fam, Smeza, Crystle, CB, Tyler, KUMC’s Addiction Clinic, Sarah Hornung, Teresa aka Riri Lara, Mike Sanders, Nick Christman, the KCMO & KCK arts scenes, and the entire Sanchez family for reasons that require no elaboration here.
It is difficult for me to imagine ever topping the crop of people I have in my life. And I sing my highest praises, love, and thanks to all, whether expressed here specifically or not.