Poetry. "In a jam, the poet packs his own signals, jams sound against the grain of sense and words against the wall of the margins, jamming with both the message in the bottle and the bottleneck of its messy (distorted by time) arrival. 'Did you say something tomorrow?' Think feedback, think big guitar god solo, and fasten your eyes and ears to a book that'll belt you. Joe Amato plays his urgent material 'just for kicks' and 'for keeps,' and this absolutely fearless and volatile mix of clowning and erudite commitment gives his work a life like nobody else's. Breaking rules we might not have been aware of (or alert to our allegiance to), PAIN PLUS THYME is a hard-hitting, clear-eyed critique of culture, as well as a 'romp' through preserves both political and personal."—Laura Mullen

Author City: NORMAL, IL USA

Joe Amato was born in Syracuse, New York, and raised in the metro area. A licensed Professional Engineer in New York State, Amato spent seven years in industry working in various project engineering capacities before returning to graduate school to complete his doctorate in English. Amato is the author of nine books and numerous essays and reviews. With his spouse, the writer Kass Fleisher, Amato has authored a play and three award-winning screenplays. Since 2003, Amato has taught writing and literature at Illinois State University.

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