$13.00
poems by
44 pages, $13 (+ shipping)
Release Date: November 21, 2025
The Advance Sale Discount price on this book has expired. The check price is $18/book (which includes shipping & sales tax) and should be sent to: Main Street Rag, 12180 Skyview Drive, Edinboro, PA 16412.
Chuck Joy writes in Erie, as far away as one can be from Philadelphia and still be in Pennsylvania. Both his parents from western New York. A graduate of Fordham University and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine he’s been publishing poetry since 1980 in places such as Great Lakes Review, First Literary Review – East, Pratik, 2 Bridges Review, The Main Street Rag, poetrybay, Tempus, Poets’ Hall the Periodical. Recent books are Theme of Line, Said the Growling Dog, Percussive, Vinyl. The Poet Laureate Erie County Pennsylvania (2018-2021, he hosted Poetry Scene, Erie Book Store; Poetry Night, Calamari’s; Chuck Joy Presents, Werner Books. Member, Pennsylvania Poetry Society, NWPA Poetry. More at www.chuckjoy.com.
Gems of self-reflective wit that puncture trope and pretension, contemplate the mysterious unknown hidden in seemingly ordinary moments. I love the equanimity, the winsome sense of wonder, the profound understanding of the limits of perception. This poetry is palpably present, one eye on the page and one on the clock. “How am I doing for time,” asks Chuck Joy. Just fine, poet — you’re doing just fine. ~George Wallace, writer in residence Walt Whitman Birthplace
Chuck Joy’s poem “We Dwell” concludes “the poem / must never be taken as truth,” and you’d believe that speaker, except there are so many truths here. In White and Blue, Joy offers a directness of observation and reporting, tenderly rendered. Each poem is a vignette, a window through which we’re permitted to gaze, perhaps seeing a little of ourselves reflected in the glass. ~Jennifer Browne, author of American Crow
There’s a straight line through the work of Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra, and Chuck Joy. ~George Guida, author of Low Italian, New York and Other Lovers, and Zen of Pop.
a poem can sound sound
and sound, it’s mission
to revel in the intricacy of detail
celebrating itself, determined, abstract
avoiding exterior, night, street
loud voice reflecting from black
storefronts and upstairs windows
a poem can tell a story
but tell it slant –
even when accompanied by elaborate
invocations of veracity, sworn oaths
on the lives of four daughters, the poem
must never be taken as truth
after Dianne Borsenik
wandering around in a moody way
wandering the grounds
alma mater, a pastoral campus in the middle of a city
cool music loud from a tent
the tent at the edge of the Great Lawn
the Great Lawn rimmed by tall leafy trees
taller brown towers behind the trees
the graduate finds a sunny bench
a particular emotion, gratitude
respect to the ancestors, his two parents
their memories always a blessing
he strove for excellence, mostly with books
what else was there to do?
always after adequate preparation
and often all night, the writing just flowed
he had since tracked that voice to its source
a breeze came from the direction of the sea
he pulled out his phone
perhaps a post to Facebook?
a post . . . curious medium
you can write in lines or in one long line
let Facebook break your lines and if you include a photo
I call that ekphrastic
after Maria Simbra
it’s his birthday
the family, we all went out on Sunday
tonight was our night
he chose the place
I already knew it, Tortoni’s
he asked to sit at the bar
took his time studying the taps
shared a few interesting comments
Daddy knows everything about beer
a girl I work with came over
Who’s the handsome gentleman?
she knew he was my husband
she bought us a round of tequila shots
and then another and then
she offered herself as a gift
he looked at me like a little boy
it was his birthday
what could I say but okay