Out Now - A Wilderness Arcade by Alex Stolis

In his first full-length poetry collection, Alex Stolis explores a multitude of fascinating, yet flawed characters: iconic movie directors creating their scenes, a despondent emperor in a tarot card, a female bullfighter preparing for battle, Dick and Jane dying slowly in the suburbs. From mysterious old letters addressed to a lover in West Hollywood, to anonymous authors who quietly lament the loss of an old world, Stolis' skillful use of exquisite language and his exploration of universal human truths make for an impressive and compelling compilation.

A Wilderness Arcade at 4AM

I want to be on an island with Patti Smith:
bookmark words in the sand, dredge
the ocean for poems. I want to curl and twist
wrists into conch shells, flirt with madness,
pluck guitar picks from tree tops
and bury my head in the sun's shoulder.

I want to wake to the bloom of white noise,
watch skyscrapers rise like salt-licks
against an asphalt horizon, cross my legs
on rooftops, strain to hear the sound of traffic.
Mostly; I want to be on an island with Patti Smith

A Wilderness Arcade excerpt

Alex Stolis is the author of six chapbooks, and the recipient of five Pushcart Prize nominations. His sixth chapbook, small confessions & pebbles of regret, was a collaborative effort with the Austrian Poet Michaela Gabriel. A Wilderness Arcade is his first full-length collection. Alex lives and works in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Click here for more information about Alex Stolis