Benjamin Blake

In 2017, Benjamin Blake burst onto the weird poetry scene with the scintillating volume Standing on the Threshold of Madness. In this book, Blake revealed himself to be a skillful weaver of weird verse long and short, each poem carefully etched and filled with vivid, impressionistic images of terror and dread, but not without a touch of poignancy. In this new volume, Blake continues his explorations into weirdness in poetry. Fascinated as he is by the "eternal feminine," Blake melds love, sex, and death in an inextricable fusion in such poems as "Phantasm" and "Succubus." Blake also finds inspiration in the upending of conventional religion, as in the grim lines in "Winchester" "Your God is as useless / As paper houses / In a spring storm." A dark pessimism infuses much of Blake's poetry, leading to such reflections as these: "Some people are nothing but tombs / Filled with dried flesh and dust / Locked from the inside." Elsewhere, Blake tells miniature stories in verse, as in the compact haunted house narrative "Ever So Faint." In all, Benjamin Blake has surpassed the promise of his first volume in this new collection of poetic vignettes. "Benjamin Blake feels many things, and feels them keenly; more to the point, he is able to transmute those feelings into poems of remarkable intensity and power."-From S. T. Joshi's Foreword

Choices. Every decision we make has consequences. It sets off a chain reaction that can lead to greatness, or-in the case of many characters in the stories on these pages-it can lead to pain, heartbreak, and even death.Choices can come in moments of weakness, where emotions outpace logic, and we say or do things that we ultimately regret. They can come in the form of life or death options. Choices can lead to sacrifice or selfishness.Authors Han Adcock, Diane Arrelle, Benjamin Blake, Victoria Dalpe, Alan Derosby, Arlen Feldman, Juliet Harper, Robert J. Mendenhall, Matthew Nichols, Samantha Pilecki, Matthew D. Saeman, Nicole Tanquary, and Zugay Trevino crafted stories in which people who, in a life-changing moment, make decisions with unforeseen consequences that change their lives and the lives of those around them. Praise for Ink Stains"Wow This anthology of Dark Fiction really packs a punch Ten strong stories without a dud in the bunch. This is my first brush with Dark Alley Press and I sure hope it won't be the last because they are bringing some serious talent to the table. " Brian James Lewis, Hellnotes.comAbout Ink StainsInk Stains, a quarterly dark fiction and horror anthology published by Dark Alley Press, is about shining a stark light on the shadows of life, exploring those dimly lit corridors, and unearthing those long-buried secrets. We are about examining the human existence and the human psyche in its raw, delicate, and dangerous state. We don't shy away from controversy, nor do we believe good will always triumph over evil or that someone will always be around to save the day. Sometimes all we have is ourselves. And the stories that keep us turning the page.Ink Stains, a dark fiction literary anthology series is a horror story collection that is sure to keep you up at night...

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Benjamin Blake was born in the July of 1985, and grew up in the small town of Eltham, New Zealand. He is the author of the poetry and prose collections A Prayer for Late October, Southpaw Nights, and Reciting Shakespeare with the Dead. His debut novel, The Devil's Children, was published in October of 2016. Find more of his work at www.benjaminblake.com Praise for Standing on the Threshold of Madness and Benjamin Blake "Benjamin Blake relishes funereal lyricism with a spice of surrealism." - Ramsey Campbell "I was most impressed with Standing on the Threshold of Madness. These dark, brooding vignettes do far more than send a shudder up one's spine (although they do that again and again, with elegance and panache). Benjamin Blake has found a way to infuse into his horrific lyrics a keen sensitivity to human emotions, an understanding of the fragility of life, and a bleak portrayal of the evanescence of all existence. This is a volume that aficionados of weird poetry will want to read over and over." - S. T. Joshi. "Language and imagery rule in this collection of dark visions. Blake has a distinctive voice, rich in surrealism, and he uses it to considerable effect." - Bruce Boston, SFPA Grandmaster Poet "A plethora of dark and haunting poems that could be likened to a bone chilling symphony overall Mood enhancing language that will curdle the blood, and excellent, original imagery " - Marge Simon, Bram Stoker Award winning poet