Epic Rites Press announced the release of Can’t Stop Now by John Yamrus, 136 pages, $17.50, ISBN: 978-1-926860-06-0, Epic Rites Press, 2011. It is available for purchase from Small Press Distribution.
Since the release of his first book in 1970, John’s work has been published in hundreds of magazines, taught at both the high school and university levels, and translated into numerous languages.
The cover of Can’t Stop Now!, by the great multi-media artist Pablo Vision, depicts a 17th century perpetual motion machine – symbolic of John’s remarkably consistent body of work.
“Two major qualities prevail in Yamrus’ recent work: economy and punch. No word is unnecessary or out of place; the timing is impeccable; and, most difficult of all, the endings hit just the right balance of summation, revelation, and surprise.” – Gerald Locklin, author of Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet
When asked about the economy of his poetry, John remarked:
“I think the hardest thing for a writer to learn is what NOT to say. Writers want to talk and talk and talk in their work and show their readers how good they are. Flashy. That’s not me. I don’t want to impress my readers with bells and whistles. I want to hit them over the head with blood and guts and bone. I don’t want to create an unreality. People can’t relate to that. I want to give them something more. I want to give them something that they know and lead them into thinking something a little deeper about it.”