Minding My Chaos

About the Book

What if poetry weren’t created in a classroom….what would it sound like if it were written by regular walking around people? What if it were ABOUT regular walking around people? What if it demanded more than reading, more than comprehension? What if it demanded that the walking around people crash right on through their regular parts to ask themselves why they are walking around in the first place? Would the crash leave us whiplashed? Topple the teetering walls we work so hard to arrange around our eroding assumptions? Could poetry do that? In a world where words mean next to nothing, perhaps poetry is only thing left that has the power to upend the tenuous cages of our solitude….in which case, Minding My Chaos is indispensable. Buy it, if you haven’t. Steal it, if you can’t.

About the Author

Matthew Jackson’s poetry has evoked comments ranging from “philosophically tenderizing” to “an emphatic knuckle sandwich.” Drawing on his inspirations—his grandmother, an Edgar Allen Poe bust he received as a child, Waylon Jennings, The Doors, The Beats, Henry Rollins, and Charles Bukowski—Matthew blends spoken word with Indiana home-grown imagery, and he throws in a soaked bar rag for flavor. Matthew works and plays in Columbus & Bloomington, Indiana where he is a professional hair designer, spoken word artist, poet, author, amateur photographer, son, husband, father, brother, friend, dog owner, streaker, tea drinker, and vegetarian who sometimes craves steak. He is very dedicated to keeping the Indiana performance art scene alive, progressive and interesting. Currently he is a member of the Indiana poetry troupe, Reservoir Dogwoods. He also co-founded the rock/poetry/talk music band known as The PaperBack Riot. He has been featured at several venues for performances and discussions, including The Americana Music Series, Indiana University-Purdue University Columbus (IUPUC), Indiana State University, W.R.A.P.S. (Writers, Readers, and Poets Society) Conference, live variety radio shows on WFHB, a Theatre and Humanities class sponsored by New Leaf-New Life at the Monroe County Correctional Center, and during a lockdown at the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute. Recently he organized and performed at a National Poetry Month extravaganza in Indiana's historic Crump Theatre called "[the throat culture] — ROCKS national poetry month," headlined by Buddy Wakefield. Matthew is positive that poetry is an inspiring vehicle to bring communities and even planets closer together—but his modus vivendi is just to have a great time. His first collection of poetry, "Minding My Chaos", is now available. His second book, "The Sportsman’s Guide to Field Dressing Man", will be unleashed winter of 2011. www.matthewdjackson.net