No Longer Dressed in Black - Kenny A. Chaffin

[kennyc]

My first poetry collection - No Longer Dressed in Black - is now available as a kindle ebook:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B007SQ9JYC

It includes a selection of poems written over the last two decades (1990-2010) that were published in a variety of small magazines and journals with additional new and selected poems.

[jgaiser]

Well... Since I can get it for free with my Prime account *and* you get paid, I just picked up a copy. Not much of a poetry guy, but I'll give a try.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by jgaiser

Well... Since I can get it for free with my Prime account *and* you get paid, I just picked up a copy. Not much of a poetry guy, but I'll give a try.

thanks Jerry we might turn you on to poetry despite yourself.

[caleb72]

I've put it on my wish list.

[kennyc]

Thanks Caleb.

[bjones6416]

Oh, Kenny, it's wonderful! Just bought it and read it straight through. And you wrote about me. Well, about us. . (And I guess everybody is going to have to get it now so they can read Blood-red Moon.)

Other faves: Lights Out and No Longer Dressed in Black.

I really like it.

[kennyc]

Thank you very much Betty! I'm so glad you liked it! And yes there was one I wrote with MR in mind.

[jgaiser]

I told you I wasn't much of poetry sort of guy and I haven't read it straight through, but I've enjoyed the few I've read so far, especially Brown Dirt Boy and Old Barn. I'll keep plugging away at them.

[kennyc]

thx Jerry...yer a good man!

[TimW]

I'm not sure when I'll get to read it but I got a copy. Onto the dangerously teetering TBR pile...

GL Kenny!

[kennyc]

Thank you Tim! Enjoy!

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by bjones6416

Oh, Kenny, it's wonderful! Just bought it and read it straight through. And you wrote about me. Well, about us. . (And I guess everybody is going to have to get it now so they can read Blood-red Moon.)

Other faves: Lights Out and No Longer Dressed in Black.

I really like it.

Just one more follow up, I find it encouraging that you chose Lishts Out as one of your favorites. That poem has vexed me for years and years, I probably wrote it the first time 15 years ago and kept editing and changing and could never seem to get it right. I put it away for a long long time until one day last year I completely re-wrote it with the same basic idea and few of the same words, but really completely differently and found I was finally, if not completely satisfied then at least happy with it as it stands.

I tend to look at poems as some other poets do in that they are never really finished and are always up for revision should they be published again at some point in the future.

[bjones6416]

Originally Posted by kennyc

Just one more follow up, I find it encouraging that you chose Lishts Out as one of your favorites. That poem has vexed me for years and years, I probably wrote it the first time 15 years ago and kept editing and changing and could never seem to get it right. I put it away for a long long time until one day last year I completely re-wrote it with the same basic idea and few of the same words, but really completely differently and found I was finally, if not completely satisfied then at least happy with it as it stands.

I tend to look at poems as some other poets do in that they are never really finished and are always up for revision should they be published again at some point in the future.

I actually pulled out your book at brunch this morning to share a couple of poems. I was with my nephew at one of those trendy little intown brunch places where the staff members (and most of the customers) dress as if they are going to hang out at the beach, or maybe go fishing, as soon as they get off work. The thing is, they all look the same. Of course, I was about 30 years older than most of them. It made me think of No Longer Dressed in Black, so I made B. read it.

(He wondered, btw, if you had ever tried joining up with anybody and turning some of your stuff into lyrics. He seemed to think they would work well that way. Just thought you might be interested in a young person's viewpoint.)

[kennyc]

Cool. I have tried a bit of songwriting...but no hits yet.

[kennyc]

I'd like to thank Betty for the nice review on Amazon. I've also gotten a bit of interest on the Goodreads site as well with a nice review there. As well as a few other off-line comments. I'm finding it interesting (but not unexpected as I've seen it in workshops and forums) how different poems connect with different people. It is always heartening to an author to know you've been able to connect with a reader.