Victor Clevenger

These poems travel from the dark places the poets have been, to the love of some of the many people who've got them out of them. They dance across the spine of the book spanning a correspondence between the two poets. It reminds us all to put the pungent and sweet things in life where we can appreciate them, our mouths.

"Victor Clevenger is a writer whose work I genuinely get excited to read. He has a unique voice that he seamlessly reinvents time and time again, that always remains Clevenger. Every Angel in Heaven is a Hopscotch Champion is collection of over 300 selected poems from out-of-print releases spanning 2016 - 2020. Buy this book." -Tohm Bakelas, poet, editor of Between Shadows Press "Reading Victor Clevenger's Every Angel in Heaven is a Hopscotch Champion I was forced to re-examine what I thought I knew about his work. The words between these pages aren't weary, but speak to the staying power of childhood nostalgia and the growing pains we all go through well into middle age and beyond. This collection is Clevenger at his most thoughtful, his most personal, just like life--you never know what's just around the corner or the next page. Opening this book is like opening your mind to the possibilities you thought were behind you, drawing the curtains of your mind, and letting a little sunshine wash over your heart."- John Dorsey, author of Pocatello Wildflower"The fresh voice of an old school poet cruising the soft light of an empty corner just before the crushing ace high flush of first light blows thru the leaves of your one true love, this dawn explosion giving rise to the music of a fearless young lion coming home again."- S.A. Griffin, author of Pandemic Soul Music"Reading Victor Clevenger is like stepping into a pair of well-worn, but still comfortable shoes; they might not be what's in fashion, but they'll take you where you need to be. His poems are snapshots into the hearts of the lives of us all. With great tenderness, but also (sometimes ruthlessly) without apology, this collection is Clevenger at his finest, truest, and most devastatingly real." - James Benger, author of From the Back, and founder of the online workshop 365 Poems in 365 Days"As Michaelangelo saw the angel in the marble and carved until it was set free, Clevenger sculpts the hard jagged stuff of this world into cottony fabric and warm yielding flesh. He shapes a series of astonishing moments from an immense block of stone the size of his lifetime, chipping away until the poetry wastes not a word. With the precision of a surgeon, Victor draws not only the blood from rock but brings out tears and breath." - Jonathan S Baker, author of Obituaries and co-author of Centaur"With tough guy bravery, heart that will sweeten your brew, and uninhibited sexiness, Every Angel in Heaven is a Hopscotch Champion is a full entree of poetry. The unpredictability of life shifts from something lonely to something beautiful with the additions of friends, children, and lovers. This collection is founded on the wisdom that we each carry the sunlight of hope."- Linzi Garcia, author of Thank You

Jason Ryberg is currently listening to an old transistor radioplay nothing but sad songs in a room that rents for $20 / hour, in a motel (owned by the sheriff's brother-in-law, they say) outby the highway on just another hot and nasty Saturday night, just outside of just another Damned If I Know, USA. Everynow and then a truck or car or bus speeds by. Every now andthen a star falls. Most of the time there's never any trouble.John Dorsey lived for several years in Toledo, Ohio. He is the author of several collections of poetry, including Teaching the Dead to Sing: The Outlaw's Prayer (Rose of Sharon Press, 2006), Sodomy is a City in New Jersey (American Mettle Books, 2010), Tombstone Factory, (Epic Rites Press, 2013), Appalachian Frankenstein (GTK Press, 2015) Being the Fire (Tangerine Press, 2016) and Shoot the Messenger (Red Flag Poetry, 2017), Your Daughter's Country (Blue Horse Press, 2019), and Which Way to the River: Selected Poems 2016-2020 (OAC Books, 2020). His work has been nominated for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net, and the Stanley Hanks Memorial Poetry Prize. He was the winner of the 2019 Terri Award given out at the Poetry Rendezvous. He may be reached at [email protected] Clevenger spends his days in a Madhouse and his nightswriting. Selected pieces of his work have appeared in printmagazines and journals around the world; it has also beennominated for the Best of the Net Anthology and the Pushcart Prize.He is the author of several collections of poetry including Sandpaper Lovin'(Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017), A Finger in the Hornets' Nest (Red Flag Poetry, 2018), Corned Beef Hash By Candlelight (Luchador Press, 2019), A Wildflower In Blood(Roaring Junior Press, 2020), and Mourning Eyes (Between Shadows Press, 2021). Together with American poet John Dorsey, they run River Dog.He can be reached at: [email protected]

The poet's ardent romantic imagination and tones of passionate feeling are evident in this remarkable collection.

When not traveling on highways across America, Victor Clevenger spends his days in a Madhouse and his nights writing poetry. He lives with his second ex-wife, and together they raise six children in a small town northeast of Kansas City, MO. Selected pieces of his work have appeared in print magazines and journals around the world, as well as at a variety of places online. His work has been nominated for the Best of the Net Anthology, as well as the Pushcart Prize. Victor is the author of several collections of poetry including Sandpaper Lovin' (Crisis Chronicles Press, 2017), Congenital Pipe Dreams (Spartan Press, 2017) and A Finger in the Hornets' Nest (Red Flag Poetry, 2018). He can be reached at: facebook.com/thepoetvictorclevenger