HVWG member Matthew Johnson announces his new book of poetry, Too Short to Box with God, is now available from Finishing Line Press.
Too Short to Box with God delves into the art and complexities inherent in the world inside and outside the boxing ring. Through poetry, I explore the multifaceted nature of boxing, which has thrilled audiences worldwide, but like sports and entertainment, has served as a funhouse mirror to society, where reality is warped, but despite the distorted vision of wealthy contracts and chiseled physiques, many of the concerns that affect us, “everyday people,” are still present in sports. Race, gender, labor, migration and movement, and journalism and media are ever-present in everyday conversations but also run parallel in sports.
Too Short to Box with God affirms that boxing is more than sport. Matthew Johnson’s poignant collection shows the grace and grit of pugilists never at rest, men whose punches echo history, injustice, racism, and even redemption. Boxing legends move through these poems. But the poet “watches it all,” sometimes from the safety of a ringside seat, sometimes closer to the damage on canvas, making meaning of fighters and fights, hitting notes that reverberate beneath and beyond the pain.– Adam Berlin, Author of the Standing Eight
Matthew Johnson is the author of the poetry collections, Shadow Folks and Soul Songs (Kelsay Books), Far from New York State (New York Quarterly Press), and Too Short to Box with God (Finishing Line Press). His poetry has appeared/forthcoming in The African American Review, Apple Valley Review, Heavy Feather Review, London Magazine, and elsewhere. A recipient of multiple Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominations, as well as recognitions from Grand State University, the Hudson Valley Writers Center, and Sundress Publications, he is the managing editor of The Portrait of New England and the poetry editor of The Twin Bill.
Too SHort to Box with God is available for purchase through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Finishing Line Press.
