The Sugar Mile [Paperback]

This stirring verse narrative begins when the poet steps into an uptown Manhattan bar a few days before September 11, 2001. Encountering Joe Stone, a fellow Brit and a barstool regular, the narrator becomes the fated scribe of Joe's memories of London's Black Saturday, the start of the worst of the Blitz during World War II. As the old man's haunting recollections of the prelude to the Blitz collide with a New York bartender's blithe optimism about the glories of America, we begin to discern the shadows and reflections of the past in New York's impending catastrophe. Deftly moving from past to present, using various poetic forms to delineate each character's unique voice, this verse drama explores everyday beauty and innocence on the brink of disaster.

His formal technique is as strong as ever. . .and he still excels as a ventriloquist. Publishers Weekly

A book of such effortlessly delicate storytelling that one hardly notices how ambitious a project it actually is. --Jon Mooallem The San Francisco Chronicle

Gripping . . . triumphant . . . a brilliant and deeply enjoyable book. --Robert Travers The Chicago Tribune