"Patrick O'Neill's first short story collection conveys the same zest for life as his poetry. Given more words, O'Neill wastes none, and his mastery of dialogue and timing draws the reader on to each surprising end. (The kicker is that, however many O'Neill poems or stories you read, you never see it coming.) Story form lets O'Neill expand his characters and plots, which continue to celebrate the frequent pratfalls and occasional blinding joy of love, lust, politics, life-and the restorative power of the North Woods." - ...
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"Patrick O'Neill's first short story collection conveys the same zest for life as his poetry. Given more words, O'Neill wastes none, and his mastery of dialogue and timing draws the reader on to each surprising end. (The kicker is that, however many O'Neill poems or stories you read, you never see it coming.) Story form lets O'Neill expand his characters and plots, which continue to celebrate the frequent pratfalls and occasional blinding joy of love, lust, politics, life-and the restorative power of the North Woods." - Diane Montz "Drawing characters so familiar they could be from your neighborhood, O'Neill deftly defines the world of polar opposites. Magnified glimpses of human experience find us swinging precariously by the tails of our collective souls on the pendulum between the lives we have vs. the lives we want. Songs of the Coyote stares unabashedly at the bartender whose tears mix grief in glasses of cold beer, solidifies a woman's stand against oppression through the whispered rhythm of an antique sewing machine, frees the heart of a stripper whose independence dances on poles and men alike. Whimper, pant, and howl as you resonate with O'Neill's stories and his knowledge that we all yearn to meld with the environment and the pack to which our hearts belong and will prowl restlessly to find it." -Vicki Parker Writer of countless published poems, stories, and plays, Patrick O'Neill lives in Ironwood in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula, where he teaches college writing, gives readings, and offers writing services. As he has for years, and vows to continue to do as long as his mind and body can keep pace with his galloping aspirations, he donates 100% of his profits from book, ticket, and artwork sales and services to a creative program series for children, conducted by Lynne Wiercinski of the Ironwood Carnegie Library and Arlene Schneller of the Schneller Art Gallery.
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