Matt Borczon

Twelve Gauge, a collection of short stories by Matt Borczon

"Who has the words to convey the unswept, unintended consequences of life in a war zone. Matt Borczon, a Navy sailor from Erie, Pa., who served in Afghanistan, has dealt with PTSD as an individual, a healer and a poet. Borczon has a gift for naming things left unnamed, to find the essence of the pain and terror with compression, compassion and wit. PTSD A Living Will is a remarkable collection." John Stickney, Writer and Poet

"As a social worker I have a deep interest in Matt Borczon's work. I hope it helped him, and know that it assists others who don't possess his writing skills. From Saved Rounds which allowed me to know that social workers and those in the field of psychology have been far too slow to grasp the concept Matt spills out right from the start. In "Afghanistan 2010" we get a glimpse of the stoic mindset of those who serve our country. For, "The Last Poem" Matt rips the curtains back and allows those blinds to snap up to the ceiling, to show everyone how war has affected his beloved wife and family. It was in "Riding An Imaginary Horse", that I received the gut punch or a pretty pink nightmare, compared to the memories and dreams that still sit on that saddle. No one can tell these stories so necessary for understanding our veterans, better than Matt. His gift is the ability to knock us down and drag us through the ravages of war. The poem "The War" made me tear up and then lose my battle on the last stanza. I moved on to "Veterans Day" and had to seriously stop and make myself breathe. This book couldn't stick to the speed limit and never gave you a break as it raced right on through." -Thasia Ann, author of Pam's Jacket, Guerilla Genisis Press "In Saved Rounds Matt Borczon leads us through the night-mare of what is PTSD. This book is full of power packed poems that lets the reader feel the pain and the determination of countless amputees, the screams and cries of the Afghan children and a Navy nurse and his family trying to heal. Do not thank him for his service or for being a hero but instead thank him for these poems, the blood he left on these pages and for being a voice for those who can't." -Scot Young, author of Brautigan Meets Bukowski, All Around Cowboy and publisher at the Rusty Truck and Deuce Coupe."I've long been envious of the heartbreaking devastation of Matt Borczon's poetry, though perhaps not of the experiences that led him to write it. Matt has complained that many editors don't care for his spare vertical style, but in the case of poems about war, let us remember what outlaw poet Todd Moore said about poems that "hang down the page like long black fuses..." These are poems waiting for you to light them." -Brian Rihlmann"This book is a punch to the gut. It hits you where you live.Borczon wastes no words in describing the visible and the unseen scars that war inflicts upon its survivors. The poems are tight, intense snapshots of the poet's experience whileserving in Afghanistan. Brutal but not sensationalistic, the power of these poems is undeniable. Once you begin reading, you won't be able to stop. This should be required reading in our turbulent times." -Kevin M. Hibshman, editor, FEARLESS poetry zine

The Asylum Floor is a yearly anthology dedicated to honest, inspired writing in all its forms. This issue has 100 pages of poetry, fiction, and comics from Wendy Rainey, Catfish McDaris, Dave Roskos, Tony Gloeggler, Rob Plath, K.W. Peery, George Anderson, Todd Cirillo, Mather Schneider, Janne Karlsson, Alan Catlin, Matt Borczon, Mike Mahoney, Wolfgang Carstens and its editor Brenton Booth.

Body Bag should be required reading for every President and member of Congress considering sending their citizens to war. These poems, none more than four lines, are dollops of horror, heartbreak, endurance, humanity, vulnerability and a whole lot of love. Although I wish Borczon didn't have to write Body Bag, I am grateful for this book and I am grateful knowing Matt is out there using his immense artistic skills to give us an idea of how it was and what it's like.-- Bob Pajich, author of The Trolleyman