Kink in the Chain

“Every scar hides a story,” Mark Berriman tells us, andKink in the Chainreveals his scars in their various beauties: of loves hard fought and won, of regret for battles not met, of the damage done by and to an unforgiving natural and political landscape. A poet both humble and bold, Berriman appeals to the reader by swagger and supplication. ‘Are you a handful?’ a lover asks in one poem; in this engaging collection, Berriman captures the complex brew of pride and penitence in answering, always, yes.” —Kate Lynn Hibbard, author of Sweet Weight and Sleeping Upside Down