Poetry. Can an epic poem be written today? MERCURY, THE DIME is Michael Begnal's vigorous YES, a poem as long as America is wide, with enough diversity and adventure (and brilliance) to satisfy both the epic poetry tradition and the vast and varied landscape of American culture. MERCURY, THE DIME travels like Whitman's "barbaric YAWP" over the rooftops of America, and its present and past. Michael Begnal was born in 1966 and his work has appeared in numerous journals and anthologies. This is his third book of poetry.

About the author: Michael S. Begnal was born in 1966 in the U.S.A., grew up in central Pennsylvania, and more recently has spent nine years in Ireland. He was editor of the Irish literary magazine The Burning Bush. His work has appeared in Poetry Ireland Review, Poetry Wales, Translation Ireland, BlazeVOX, The Blue Canary, Shearsman, Natural Bridge, Vallum, and many other journals. He is also included in anthologies such as Breaking the Skin: New Irish Poetry (Black Mountain Press), and Six Gallery Press's Jacob's Ladder. His Irish-language (Gaelic) writing appears in the Go Nuige Seo anthologies (Coisceim), and elsewhere. Begnal's collection The Lakes of Coma was brought out by Six Gallery Press in 2003. Another collection, Ancestor Worship, is published (2005) by Irish press Salmon Poetry. Six Gallery Press has also released his booklet, Mercury, the Dime.