“American Bruise” published by Parallel Press

Parallel Press is pleased to announce the publication of American Bruise, a new collection of poetry by L. Ward Abel ($10.00, Parallel Press, 2012).

The bruises in Abel poems are those left on the American landscape and history, especially the rural settings populated by men like Lincoln and Whitman. His poetry explores the back roads and rivers of the nation and what has been left there to decay: “…no ceiling to shield the rain from reaching / what used to be the floor. I think those places are / more holy now / with a view straight up / and into heaven.”

L. Ward Abel was born in 1959 in Atlanta. He is a poet, composer, and performer of music with Abel, Rawls & Hayes, teacher, and retired lawyer. He lives in rural Georgia.

Mr. Abel’s work appears in many online and print publications. He is the author of Peach Box and Verge (Little Poem Press, 2003); Jonesing for Byzantium (UK Authors Press, 2006); The Heat of Blooming (Pudding House Press, 2008); Torn Sky Bleeding Blue (erbacce-Press, 2010); and the forthcoming Cousins Over Colder Fields (Finishing Line Press, 2013).

American Bruise is available for purchase through Parallel Press for $10.00. Discounts are provided for libraries, booksellers, and non-profit organizations.

Questions? Contact Parallel Press: 608-262-1433 or parallelpress@library.wisc.edu