Kirjahaku

Everybody writes a hero story. Publicists describe them as gritty. Their authors undoubtedly write in standard form and recycled words: "Nothing could have prepared me for what happened next..."No Diplomacy bucks this trend. Unlike anything previously published, No Diplomacy is the antithesis to a superhero story. It's one you can't unread. Narrated with the cynicism of an infantry soldier and provoked by the ubiquitous question, "Have you ever killed someone?" No Diplomacy delivers an explicit documentation of a soldier's experience in combat, that once you start, you will not put it down until it's finished.Written by a former Canadian infantry soldier, the direct language used in this first person narrative subjects the reader to an uncomfortably vulnerable account of events which took place during the summer of 2010 near Panjwayi District, Afghanistan.

In the deft hands of Andrew Lafleche, the boundaries of fiction are challenged with inimitable abandon-A Pardonable Offence is a collection of short stories brimming with intensity and accented by an unexpected dark humour.The ten stories range from the whimsical to the terrifying-online dating fails; alienation amidst a bizarre and dehumanised world; a portrait of the suffocating oppression consuming modern life; a disturbing short illustrating the blurred landscape separating circumstance and choice.The final tale in this collection, a blackly humorous portrayal of a patient's stream of consciousness, reveals an agonised consideration of violence directed toward faceless victims and sexual relations which border on criminal. It's a dark revelation of an over conscious individual whose psyche flirts with a level of paranoia skirting schizophrenic tendency.Appalling, thought-provoking, and entertaining, A Pardonable Offence is Andrew Lafleche claiming his voice: extreme and provocative. This collection will delight his growing number of fans and new readers alike.

Shameless is a raw, lyrical, exploration of the exigencies, heartbreaks, and limits of love. It's an invitation to a journey of sensuality, sultry, and tactile pleasure.Andrew Lafleche speaks with raw honesty, daring to explore passionate physical affairs and secret desires. These are poems that will obsess, possess, and stay with you forever.What are others saying about Shameless? "Disgusting. Andrew should be ashamed."

"I wept. These poems, this pain, has been transformed into beautiful tragedy." -Gerald Arthur Moore, Flak JacketLives consumed in shallow graves. No zeal, no plowing into the night. Undone or inbeing-give it all up, follow. A golden crown. The deserved reward-Or a bucket of fish. But what if it is not that easy? What if -I need more. Blessed are those who die mid-infancy; Better still to have never been born; Born again. How many births must one Endure? How frequent becomings?From award-winning author and veteran Andrew Lafleche, MedEvac is a raw and reflective poetry collection. It delves into the harrowing realities of combat in Afghanistan, the anguish of divorce, the loss of a child, and the destructive force of alcoholism. With brutal honesty and unflinching introspection, Lafleche captures the weight of grief and the search for meaning, both in life and in faith. In MedEvac, poetry becomes a vehicle for self-examination and spiritual reflection, making it a powerful read for those familiar with trauma.

Poetry without pretension. Contributions by: Taylor Altman, Gabriela Alvarado, Alexis Avlamis, Matthew James Babcock, Chad Baker, Cailey Blair, Carl Boon, Cathie Desjardins, Steve Gerson, Mark Gordon, Joshua Ah Harris, Keith Inman, Erin Jamieson, Tabatha Jenkins, Rollin Jewett, Rick Jordan, Mateo Lara, Lora Larivere, Javed Latoo, Bryanna Licciardi, Sara Marron, Gary Mccarty, Grace Mcgovern, Effie Pasagiannis, Lisa Poff, Bella Pori, Rhea Ranno, Edythe Rodriguez, Andrew Rogers, Ogunkoya Samuel, Maria Sebastian, Joanell Serra, Carol Smallwood, John Jay Speredakos, Alex Stanley, Travis Stephens, Charika Swanepoel, Jim Trainer, Alia Wall and Jianqing Zheng.

Poetry without pretension. Contributors include: Tori Bryl, Christina Ciufo, Tori Darnell, Michael Denicola, Cole Depuy, Chen Du, Tova Feldmanstern, Josh Fuentes, Rebecca Ruth Gould, Robin Gow, Julia Hatch, Eliot Hudson, Megan Hutchinson, Keith Inman, Anika Jhalani, Sal Kang, Candice Kelsey, Andy Kerstetter, Ali Kilinc, Anthony Thomas Lombardi, Kayleigh Marinelli, Meh, Jessica Mehta, J. L. Moultrie, Dave Nielsen, J. Ray Paradiso, Tim Patton, Andrew Petrucci, J. Sean Rafferty, Hayden Rigby, Joel Scarfe, Brittany Smart, Rachel Smith, Susan Smith, Travis Stephens, Gerry Stewart, Timothy Strange, Meghan K. Strapec, Biljana Vasilevska, Sydney Virginia, Laura Walker, Tom Wood, Kylie Ayn Yockey, and Nicole Zelniker.

Meritocratic poetry with contributions from: Ed Ahern, Christine Aletti, Taylor Altman, Lacey Beamer, Guilherme Bergamini, Michael Brosnan, Hannah Cajandig-Taylor, Laura Cok, Andres Cordoba, Tammy Delatorre, Michael DeMaranville, RC deWinter, Cheryl Dumesnil, David Freeman, Raymond P. Hammond, Heikki Huotari, Alison Lubar, Thomas Biancardo Mackin, DS Maolalai, Marc Meierkort, Mihica Anushree Prashant, Christopher Carter Sanderson, Chuck Sebian-Lander, Hannah Seo, C. Henry Smith, Erin Smith, Sydney Smith, Nick Snow, Skaidrite Stelzer, Carol Stewart, Ming Sun, Mary Turck, And Peter Coe Verbica.

Meritocratic poetry with contributions from: Marlee Abbott, Joanna Acevedo, Eleanor Aljumaah, Evan Anders, Madison Baranoski, M.T. Bennett, Christine A. Brooks, Delaney Burk, Raymond Byrnes, Douglas Cole, Josh Coursey, M. Christine Benner Dixon, Naomi Rhema Edwards, Darrell Epp, Maggie Finch, Zac Furlough, Andrew Furst, Sarah Galic, Adem Garic, Lily Greenberg, John Grey, Christopher Grosso, Joseph Hardy, Westley Heine, Melisha Holcomb, Nicole Im, Margaret Koger, Jonathan Koven, Martin Krafft, Patrick Kurth, Carolyn Lawrence, Jasmine Ledesma, LindaAnn LoSchiavo, Don Martin, Julie Martin, Brianna Minuse, Alec Montalvo, James B. Nicola, Sam Orluk, G.M. Palmer, Tomy Pierre, Frederick Pollack, Robert Eugene Rubino, Joel Scarfe, Preeti Shah, Jonathan Howard Sonnenberg, Bee Rock Steady, Josh Stein, Dr. Priya Dolma Tamang, Virginia Valenzuela, and Matt Vekakis.

Set in Niagara in the early 2000's, this novel is a raw confrontation of sexuality and addiction in a modern coming-of-age narrative.High school is over, an ex-girlfriend is pregnant, and Troy Brinkman is spiralling out of control. On moving out of his parent's home, Troy enters a landscape of limitless entropy where everybody drinks copious amounts of alcohol, snorts mountains of cocaine, and once Ecstasy is discovered, swallows as many pills as they can get their hands on. When he's not seething for his next high, Troy cruises parties, strip-clubs, and bars for action in a desperate attempt to avoid coming to terms with his best friend's attempted suicide. In this binge-life, Troy recognizes his impending doom and tries to renew feelings for his ex-girlfriend, Danielle, his sole through-line that connects Troy to who he was before he became who he is. It's this struggle which may lead to Troy's own destruction.

Poems by Steven Dale Davison, Liz DeGregorio, Francesca Ferrauto, Eddie Fogler, Mark Gordon, Raymond P. Hammond, Tom Higgins, Philip Kienholz, Katharina Kracht, Chelsea Logan, Raymond Luczak, Brandon McCart, Gerald Arthur Moore, Stephen James Moore, Matt Nagin, Patrick T. Reardon, Darren Tynan, and Joe Volpe.

The most remarkable characteristic of these poems is that the poet has aptly avoided banal epithets and false elegance.

he intense creative power shown by the poet makes its presence felt in all these poems.

Julian Cole woke to the dull tone of the seat belt light illuminating. It was only an hour flight from Reykjavik, but somehow he'd drifted. He looked at his friend in the seat beside him. His wavy blond hair hung neat over his shoulders as he slept peacefully against the cabin's window. In this restful state, Julian found it hard to believe he was the same Ed Barbie, twice the Trident Legion veteran, who'd deployed to the Faroe Islands and successfully intervened with the grindadrap to capture gut-wrenching video that exposed the slaughter to the world. Ed had balls.