The Indie Express: Poetry Feature: Laughing is Forever by Jason Stocks #blogtour #poetry #bookreview #rabtbooktours @RABTBookTours

Poetry

Date Published: March 22, 2024

Publisher: MindStir Media

Laughing is Forever is my second book. And while it’s gritty, rhythmic, dark and dangerous it’s also fun, quirky, and inquisitive. Topics range from growing up in the Deep South to questioning the mainstream narrative of how it all . . . came to be. I want people who don’t read much and who hate poetry (the largest demographic) to give this collection a chance and fall in love with books by reading something that they can relate to and/or be awed by. Laughing is Forever is a standalone book, a brand-new beast, but follows in the footsteps of Blameforest in the sense that it’s reinventing what poetry can be. And hopefully inspiring folks to take risks with their own work and stand out from the maddening crowd.

Reviews for Laughing is Forever

"These are the kind of tattered, beautiful poems I often search for and rarely find-the ones that explain, 'Just be happy with a beer after work. You know, quit all the complaining. It won't change a single thing. It just prolongs the suffering.' "

-Sean Thomas Dougherty, author of Death Prefers the Minor Keys

"Stocks's writing has a powerful immediacy, and his poems are packed with both profanity and pop-culture references . . ."

-Kirkus Reviews

"This collection is brave, unflinching and hits you like a punch in the jaw. It is at times brutal and vicious but also tender and intelligent. I was reminded of early Eminem in the poignant anger of some of the poems."

-Sam Szanto, author of If No One Speaks

Review

It's important to not take life too seriously and sometimes we need a reminder of that.

Stocks uses dark humor and references to pop-culture to get his point across and he succeeds.

It's not happy go lucky kind of poetry, its gritty in the best way. It will make you contemplate things you had not previously.

About the Author

Jason Stocks is a writer and teacher living in south Florida. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in a chicken house, washed dishes, bagged groceries, waited tables, and sold cars. His first full-length poetry collection--Blameforest--was published in 2021 and was recently named a finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards for contemporary poetry. When not writing, he enjoys reading vintage YA horror, riding his Haro cruiser, and spending time with the family.

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