The Plumber's Apprentice - Softcover

Weil, Joe

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1935520105 ISBN 13: 9781935520108

Publisher: NYQ Books, 2009

Synopsis

The Plumber's Apprentice differs from Weil's previous work in that it charts the nature of suffering beyond the limits of his working class "Elizabeth" and focuses more deeply on two aspects of his life: his Irish Catholic sense of communion, with the living and the dead (all who have gone forth marked with the sign of faith), and the essential solitude of being a single, short, bald man who has no offspring, no legacy, no beloved, and is falling, however slowly, to his death. Perhaps the question Weil asks most frequently is: given the inevitable co-ordinates of ongoing failure, how does a poet give the middle finger to grade z forms of Emersonian positivism and have some fun in this vale of tears? In sum: if love is impossible, and life severely limited, and loneliness is devouring the furniture, where's the closest bar, and do they have a good jukebox? For brief moments Weil succeeds in making failure, death and love his drinking buddies. In the poet's messed up ontology, they make for a lively and comical crew.

About this title

About the Author

Joe Weil was born and raised in Elizabeth, New Jersey, where he attended St. Mary of The Assumption grade school and high school. For over 20 years, Weil worked on the graveyard shift at various factories, mainly at National Tool and Manufacturing in Kenilworth, New Jersey. During this time, he became involved in hosting poetry readings in both New Jersey and New York, and founded the literary magazine Black Swan Review. Weil is currently a lecturer in the creative writing department at Binghamton University. He has three books of poetry: THE PLUMBER'S APPRENTICE (NYQ Books, 2009), Painting the Christmas Trees (Texas Review Press, 2008), and What Remains (Night Shade Press, 2008).

Edition details

• Publisher: NYQ Books
• Publication date: 2009
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1935520105
• ISBN 13: 9781935520108
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 104