SIX DOLLARS AN HOUR
by Adam Matcho
LLP-11-42 40 Pages, $6.
First Place winner for 2011, this collection captures the stark and often comical experience of the minimal wage earner. As Huff once said, "it's lonely at the bottom too" and Adam has documented that sentiment beautifully.
I FALL IN LOVE WITH STRANGERS
by Kelly Scarff
LLP-11-41 32 Pages, $6.
This compelling chap won second place in the 2011 contest. We're happy and proud to include Kelly on the Nerve Cowboy bookshelf.
LET ME GET YOU AN ASHTRAY
by Desire Oliver
LLP-10-40 28 Pages, $6.
We were first knocked out by Desire's writing before we knew who she was, the result of some pages with no name that we couldn't put down and just had to publish. Here is a whole book of that. First Prize winner for 2010, also sports a typically surreal color cover by the inimitable Wayne Hogan.
LOVE ONE ANOTHER CONSTANTLY
by Michelle Brooks
LLP-10-39 44 Pages, $6.
This beautiful, tough chap won second place in 2010 Nerve Cowboy competition. Second time in the winners circle for Michelle, get a copy and you'll know why.
ANOTHER CASUALTY AT THE 34TH STREET BUS STOP
by Justin Hyde
LLP-09-38 36 Pages, $6.
Why is it when people say, "you win some, you lose some", they usually just lost something? This powerful chap, which took 1st place in the 2009 Nerve Cowboy Chapbook Contest, looks into this. Tough people + tough stories = a killer book of poems.
IT GETS WORSE
by David J. Thompson
LLP-09-37 44 Pages, $6.
David J. Thompson hits again. This 2nd place 2009 finish marks Thompson's third time in the NC Chap Contest winner's circle. From a bad date to a bad year, with occasional victories along the way, these tough poems tell it like it is.
A MILLION YEARS GONE
by Michael Flanagan
LLP-08-36 44 Pages, $6.
First Place 2008 Chapbook Contest Winner. It all seems so long ago. Your parents at the Knights of Columbus hall. The first girl you ever loved. Your daughter in the smiling photo. Your own dark night & redemption. These poems notice and remember the things we almost cannot bear but somehow do.
HEIRLOOM
by Nicholas Benca
LLP-08-35 28 Pages, $6.
Second Place 2008 Chapbook Contest Winner. These are powerful stories and poems that shine a bare lightbulb on the struggles of people trying to relate to the people they're related to. Featuring a startling 2-color cover by 40 oz. Fred.
WEDLOCK SUNDAY and Other Poems
by Gerald Locklin
LLP-07-34 44 Pages, $6.
Gerald Locklin at his best, letting us in on the comings & goings & artistic musings of a guy who can appreciate a great Mexican dinner for $8.35. It this were not enough, the color cover by Henry Denander is worth the price of admission. Another gem for your small press bookshelf.
THE BOOK OF TOOTHPICKS
by Michelle Barnette
LLP-07-33 28 Pages, $6.
Second Place 2007 Chapbook Contest Winner. A moving collection of poems that explore love, loss, children, and the past that is always with us.
EVEN THE FALLEN
by David J. Thompson
LLP-07-32 28 Pages, $6.
First Place 2007 Chapbook Contest Winner. The first time anyone has won two Nerve Cowboy chap contests, get this book and you'll see why. Like a Chet Baker solo, these poems are just the perfect length and end on just the perfect note.
TEATIME @ THE BOUQUET MORALE
Joan Jobe Smith and Fred Voss
LLP-06-31 48 Pages, $5.
Second Place 2006 Chapbook Contest Winner. Two books in one: half Joan's wonderfully rich poems of 50s Texas, the go-go 60s, and the everyday dramas of today... and then half Fred's insightful takes on the truth and beauty of work, marriage, and getting the words on the page. Pound for pound you won't find a better value in poetry anywhere, at any price!
OUTLIVING ELVIS
David J. Thompson
LLP-06-30 44 Pages, $5.
First Place 2006 Chapbook Contest Winner. Thompson writes of travels, inward and outward, relationships ascending and descending, among other remarkable things. One-of-a-kind cover art by Wayne Hogan.
METHINKS I SEE MY FATHER
Poems about our fathers by Glenn Cooper and Michael Estabrook
LLP-06-29 48 Pages, $6.
Sons who lose their fathers young must make their own way in the world and figure things out as they go. Every photograph and scrap of memory offers a clue and is carefully cultivated. Glenn Cooper and Michael Estabrook split this 48-page book down the middle and take us along on the journey. This book sports a lovely ful-color cover of an original painting by Lisa McCarthy.
PRIVATE PROPERTY
Tina Vincenti
LLP-05-28 40 Pages, $5.
Meeting an old high school classmate in a bar. The crush on your brother's friend. Getting fucked up in the doctor's office. Taking a walk on the beach with your girlfriend and getting your heart ripped out of your chest, bloody and beating. These are stories you'll carry with you the rest of your life. Private Property won 2nd place in the Nerve Cowboy 2005 contest and notably is the first book of fiction to break the winners' circle. Note to poets: buy this book, read these badass stories and your poems will thank you.
THRU THE HEART OF THIS ANIMAL LIFE, A MEASURE OF IMPOSSIBLE HUMOR
by Christopher Cunningham
LLP-05-29 44 Pages, $6.
Cunningham is a man of few words, but those words are the precisely perfect ones to cut through the bullshit and lay the soul bare. Poem after freakin' poem for 44 pages in this solid first place winner of the 2005 Nerve Cowboy contest. These are the poems that will get you through the night, poems of honesty, despair, revelation and redemption. Not always pretty but true and beautiful.
Bonus: this book features a one-of-a-kind cover, designed and hand-colored by the madman author himself. No two alike!
CASUALTY OF THE INDUSTRIAL REVOLUTION
Karl Koweski
LPP-04-26
36 pages
$5.
As far as small press poets go, Koweski is a race car on red. He is a superfly
mushroom cloud that is gonna run your ass down and keep you laughing and
howling from the first page to the last. With this collection that placed
2nd in Nerve Cowboy's 2004 contest, Karl goes from crackhead girlfriends
who scare dobermans to livin' paycheck to paycheck. Just buy the damn book!!!
A HOTEL ROOM IN BATON ROUGE
Michelle Brooks
LPP-04-27
44 pages
$5.
A Hotel Room in Baton Rouge won the 2004 Nerve Cowboy Chapbook Contest with
an amazing collection of dark, moving poems about growing up, personal loss,
living in an imperfect world, and coping with it. After you read the first
poem "Chiggers" we dare you to try to put this book down.
Back in Print!
ARE YOU JUST GETTING UP?
Joshua Bodwell
LPP-01-16
28 pages
$5.
The poems and prose in Joshua Bodwell's Are You Just Getting Up?,
the second prize winner in Nerve Cowboy's 2001 contest, are spare, touching,
and honest. Bodwell gets right to the heart of things. In his words the
simplest expressions seem 100% true and utterly profound, and leave you
in a quiet place far from where you started. A beautiful color cover designed
by Louis W. Rizzo and printed by the author are an added bonus for the small
press collector. Are You Just Getting Up?
NOTHING BUT CANDY
Jennifer Jackson
LPP-03-25
36 pages
$5.
Remember the fat kid in elementary school? Well, she grew up to write a
kick-ass book of poems about what it's like to be marginalized in a thin-obsessed
culture. These poems are beautiful, sad, thrilling, and sexy. Jennifer Jackson
has a unique voice, fascinating perspective, and exciting way with words,
taking second place in the super tight 2003 chapbook contest with this killer
entry.
WHEN PATTI WOULD FALL ASLEEP
Michael Estabrook
LPP-03-24
32 pages
$5.
In these prose poems Michael Estabrook offers vivid glimpses of various
women in his life. These poems are all about falling in love (for a moment
or a lifetime) -- the sights, sounds, smells, and intense feelings that
transport us for a time but stay with us forever. We're delighted to have
Michael Estabrook on the Liquid Paper Press bookshelf.
ASHTRAYS AND BULLS
Robert Plath
LPP-03-23
44 pages
$5.
Ladies and Gentlemen, meet the Bukowski of the new millenium. Plath bursts
onto the poetry scene with his first collection of poems, Ashtrays and
Bulls. Plath's poems take aim right between the reader's eyes and rarely
miss with their dark, masterfully crafted imagery. Ashtrays and Bulls
placed first in Nerve Cowboy's 2003 chapbook contest and lives true to his
motto, "keep your glass empty and your ashtray full."
HINDSIGHT, OR HOW I SURVIVED THE DEPRESSION
by Albert Huffstickler
LPP-96-02
28 pages
$3
Poems about everyday people, lonely, starving, in love, disconnected, searching
for something but not sure just what--put in the way that only Huff can.
If these don't make you feel something deep inside, you're in need of a
heart transplant. Huff's first Liquid Paper Press chap from 1996, a classic!
Hindsight
W9GRF and the Dance That Never Ends
Joseph Shields
LPP-02-22
44 pages
$5.
W9GRF was the ham radio signal Joe's father used to communicate with the
world, and it's also the title of a powerful new chapbook by Joseph Shields,
his fourth. There are poems about his dad's navy days in the 40s, his sister's
dating days in the 60s, and to keep the dance going, poems about the crop
Joe is raising now. Many of these poems have appeared in some of the finest
small press publications over the last couple of years, but here they are
in one place, along with some new gems as well. W9GRF
EVERYONE, EXQUISITE
Bob Pajich
LPP-02-21
32 pages
$5.
Bob Pajich is a master storyteller and his latest collection, Everyone,
Exquisite, clearly exemplifies that fact. From the chest pounding proclamation
poem about being "the Best Plastic Bag Factory Poet in the USA"
to his ode to Chuck Taylor Converse high tops to pissing in his boss's hard
hat to a moment of clarity after hot sex to... well, you get the point.
Everyone, Exquisite placed second in Nerve Cowboy's 2002 Chapbook
Contest. Everyone, Exquisite
BROKE-DOWN SHOTGUN BLUES
James Edward O'Brien
LPP-02-20
32 pages
$5.
Broke-Down Shotgun Blues won first place in Nerve Cowboy's 2002 Chapbook
Contest and we are confident you will see why. O'Brien is gifted with the
rare ability to paint a vivid image of a snapshot in time in a short tight
poem. After reading poems like "12 Faded Pictures",
"Sleepy Hollow", "Love Sick", "The Same Dream"
and others, you are sure to be a fan of O'Brien's work.
THE MAN FROM NANTUCKET
Jerry Hagins
LPP-02-19
28 pages
$5.
This is Jerry's first chapbook and it is a knockout from the first page
to the last. The book weaves in and out of the lives of dozens of fascinating
characters -- a homeless man into Poe, a lost soul at a concert, old loves,
dying co-workers -- with great compassion and honesty, and he shows how
simple and beautiful the world can be through the observations of his young
daughter. To Alison
HOEING COTTON IN HIGH HEELS
Wilma Elizabeth McDaniel
LPP-02-18
52 pages
$6.
Hoeing Cotton in High Heels tells it like it was for the Dust Bowl
refugees in the 1930s who headed west as much for survival as for a better
life... and what living in California is like now for an authentic Okie
who finds joy and wonder in the stark simplicity of everyday life and everyday
people. As Sherman Alexie has said, "The whole world should be reading
Wilma's poems and they should also know the story of her amazing life."
We couldn't agree more and are delighted to have this special book in our
lineup. Hoeing Cotton in High Heels
THE REGULARS
Lori Jakiela
LPP-01-17
28 pages
$5.
The Regulars won first prize in Nerve Cowboy's 2001 chapbook contest
and here's what Ed Ochester had to say: "In one of Jakiela's poems,
her machinist father comes home from work and gives his young daughter some
bits of scap steel and springs from the mill, and tells her "Here ...
/ Go make something beautiful." And, by god, she does. From wrecked
lives and bad jobs, she makes poems and short prose stories which are utterly
moving in their exact observation and human sympathy. How many books or
chapbooks does one read, and say to oneself, 'I want more of this'? Friends,
this is one of those books." You will also love the sharp color cover
designed by Louis W. Rizzo and printed by Joshua Bodwell of Clamp Down Press.
The Regulars
LEARNING TO LIE
Albert Huffstickler
LPP-01-15
40 pages
$5.
The latest from Albert Huffstickler, bard of the Southwest. In these poems
Huff tells it like it truly is, beneath the veneer of the American "dream"
where there really are such things as truth and beauty. In classic Huff
style he describes how he came to find these places. He is a good guide.
Follow him. Learning to Lie
PICKING THE LOCK ON THE DOOR TO PARADISE
Joan Jobe Smith
LPP-01-14
52 pages
$5.
Here comes another strong collection of work from Joan Jobe Smith. This
book placed second in Nerve Cowboy's Y2K chapbook contest. Tim Scanell writes:
"each specific memory (from very beginning to very end) a fluid, nearly
breathless, wave: upbringing; recurrent episodes with mom, dad; failed marriages
and single-mom childbearing; her go-go dancing years; but at last, college
and a solid, loving marriage to Fred Voss (machinest/poet)- a double-score
of excellent poems." Picking the Lock on
the Door to Paradise
SUNDAY RITUAL Ralph Dranow
LPP-00-13
32 pages
$4.
First Prize winner in Nerve Cowboy's 2000 chapbook contest. "The best
poems I will ever read about the aura and denizens of the bookstore - and
I see the eternal horizon - are these by Ralph Dranow. Each of his twenty-five
poems is a delightfully imaged - simple - narrative: who enters, what the
buyers want, and why they leave; yet within this plain structure is the
universe of 'bookshop browsers' we have all met, but have not ever, ever
had the words or insight to describe as perfectly, touchingly, as this poet"
(Tim Scannell, Chiron Review). Sunday Ritual
TRUCK IT
Dave Newman
LPP-99-12
32 pages
$4.00
Newman just tells it like it is and that is what is so great about this
book about driving an 18-wheeler across the country. It is about a scared
kid, warning other unemployed kids not to answer the truck driving school
ads on late night television, ending up in the most unappealing shitholes
in America, encountering some of the most unappealing people in America,
and still managing to keep his sense of humor. Truck It, which placed
second in Nerve Cowboy's 1999 Chapbook Contest, sucks you in and doesn't
let you go until the last page is read. Hookers
and Truckers
FROM PARTS UNKNOWN
Christopher Jones
LPP-99-11
28 pages
$4.00
From Parts Unknown is brilliant and should be read by everybody.
It placed first in Nerve Cowboy's 1999 Chapbook Contest and has poems about
angels, gargoyles, the devil, the church, bartenders, coffee shops, and
other things. Caution: the poem "Hatebox"
may just knock you on your ass.
NO ESCAPE AND OTHER POEMS
Joseph Shields
LPP-99-10
32 pages
$4.00
This book, published by Scrooges Ledger Press, is being distributed through
Nerve Cowboy. It contains poems about unconditional love, lack of sanitary
hygeine practiced by co-workers, crack head junkies, government work, smoking
a cigarette, trying to escape from a big turd floating in the ocean, and
whole bunch of other interesting stuff. This will be a fun book for you
to read. No Escape
THE BACK EAST POEMS
Gerald Locklin
LPP-99-09
64 pages
$5.00
This 64 page collection of poems by Locklin recounts a recent trip through
the midwest to the east coast to visit his children from his first marriage.
These are uniquely personal poems which you are sure to enjoy. Ha Ha
GRAPPLING
Susanne R. Bowers
LPP-98-08
28 pages
$4.00
Bowers' poems come from the gut and the images and feelings they create
are not easy to forget. Grappling, which palced third in Nerve Cowboy's
1998 Chapbook Contest, contains poems about an alcoholic mother, stints
in mental health facilities, thoughtless piece of shit men who are now gone,
and everything in between. Buy it and read it and you will be that much
richer for it. Grappling
E PLURIBUS ALUMINUM
Thomas Michael McDade
LPP-98-07
44 pages
$4.00
McDade is one of the great storytellers of the small press and with this
book, he brings us tales about guys working and drinking from paycheck to
paycheck, Jack the old shoe shine man who is 75, the bearded painter of
the Fenway Park bleachers, Eddie's superbowl hell, and more. E Pluribus
Aluminum placed second in Nerve Cowboy's 1998 Chapbook Contest and is a
must read. E Pluribus Aluminum
NOTES OF A HUMAN WAREHOUSE ENGINEER
Belinda Subraman
LPP-98-06
40 pages
$4.00
This book about Belinda's experiences as a nurse's aide at a border town
nursing home is touching, funny, and disturbing all at the same time. The
book placed first in Nerve Cowboy's 1998 Chapbook Contest and is highly
recommended. December 15
THE ACTIVE INGREDIENT, AND OTHER POEMS
by Gerald Locklin
LPP-97-05
28 pages
$4
This collection of 28 poems has Locklin providing contemporary interpretations
of famous paintings, worrying about the expiration date on a can of soda
being the same as his birthday, speculating about the true source of power
behind Burroughs' dream machine, afraid to look in the mirror, and wondering
if he is more like Mickey Mantle or Jerry Garcia. These are charming, funny,
enlightening poems told with the insight and humor we have come to love
from this small press veteran from Long Beach, CA. The
Active Ingredient
BUTCHERS AND BRAIN SURGEONS
by Fred Voss
LPP-97-04
32 pages
$4
Fred is back with dozens of beautiful and insightful poems from the trenches
of the Goodstone Aircraft Company. Poems about the insidious, inane practices
of management, demented co-workers, and the touching relationships that
form between the people at Goodstone. These poems are about humanity at
its worst and its best. ...And Loving It
BORN NOT TO LAUGH AT TORNADOES
by Joan Jobe Smith
LPP-96-03
40 pages
$4
Rich, magical poems about the author's father and her experiences growing
up in small town Texas. These poems create vivid images of times and places
that no longer exist--poems nobody should be without. Handsomer
Than Henry Fonda
WISCONSIN DAZE
by Joseph Shields
LPP-96-01
28 pages
$3
Narrative poems about after-school football, bullies, trading cards, drinking
smoking, motorcycle wrecks, yard sales, cross-country races, and all those
other things boys do, told from the perspective of an older man looking
back on his youth. These poems will take you places you won't soon forget.
Steven, Freddy, Virginia & Me
Liquid Paper Press chapbooks are handsomely printed in limited editions of 100 copies. All prices include postage and handling costs. You can use our Order Form or send us a note with the titles you want. Payment must be included with order--we will not invoice you. Please make checks payable to Nerve Cowboy and mail your order to:
Nerve Cowboy
P.O. Box 4973
Austin, Texas 78765