{"product_id":"2940148719809","title":"White Trash \u0026 Southern, Collected Poems, Vol. I","description":"Poetry in this data-saturated age is not, for most, a viable way to make a living. So why expend the time and energy to create something that few people will read and even fewer will purchase? To which I must ask, why do people sing in the rain, paint pictures, dance? Because it provides pleasure and reward and perhaps even keeps them sane. As a writer of fiction and nonfiction, I am most concerned with story. When I write poetry, I view it not as some lofty literary tool to fool or condescend, but as an exercise in crafting story within the strictest confines. White Trash \u0026amp; Southern is a collection of such exercises, spanning nearly three decades. To create a complex story within a limited number of words—to communicate far more than appears on the page—is a challenge that can provide enormous reward and satisfaction. Sometimes I succeed. Sometimes I don't. But at least I remain sane. Sort of.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePrint version available from Amazon.com.","brand":"Cooperative Ink","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47108887740656,"sku":"2940148719809","price":4.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148719809_p0.jpg?v=1763707696","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148719809","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}