The Second O of Sorrow

(Paperback)

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Description

Sean Thomas Dougherty celebrates the struggles, the dignity, and the joys of working-class life in the Rust Belt. Finding delight in everyday momentsa night at a packed karaoke bar, a father and daughter planting a garden, a biography of LeBron James as a metaphor for Ohiothese poems take pride in the people who survive despite all odds, who keep going without any concern for glory, fighting with wit and grace for justice, for joy, every god damned day.

Reviews

"A blue-collar, Rust Belt romantic to his generous, enthusiastic core, Dougherty has filled eight prior volumes with character sketches, pool hall odes (he now works in a pool hall), vaunting declarations, outcries, celebrations, protests, and promises, 'in the rusting cities in the rusting places where we leaned against the wall, in the smoky haze of bar smoke and breath.'" -Publisher's Weekly

Author Bio

Publishers Weekly describes Sean Thomas Dougherty as A blue-collar, Rust Belt romantic to his generous, enthusiastic core, and Dorianne Laux praises him as the gypsy punk heart of American poetry. He is the author or editor of fifteen books including All You Ask for is Longing: Poems 1994-2014 (Boa Editions), and Double Kiss: Stories, Poems, Essays on the Art of Billiards (Mammoth Books 2017). His awards include a Fulbright Lectureship to the Balkans, and an appearance in Best American Poetry. Known for his dynamic readings, he has performed at hundreds of venues, universities and festivals including the Dodge Poetry Festival, the Old Dominion Literary Festival and across Albania and Macedonia where he appeared on national television, sponsored by the US State Department. He works as a Med Tech and Caregiver for people with brain injuries. He lives in Erie, PA.