[10/24/25] Potter, Adrian S.: The Blues Handbook

From the author of And the Monster Swallows You Whole and Field Guide to the Human Condition, Adrian S. Potter intricately melds prose and poetry in The Blues Handbook to navigate issues of grief, identity, racism, memory, social issues, and personal struggles. Like the blues that inspired them, the candid poems here will pull you back to listen repeatedly until they replay in your mind.

“without tragedy, pretend happy endings exist. Toss worry inside a closet, nail the door shut, and never let it escape. Don’t tell them about the evil that gets unraveled and hymned out every Sunday morning, just to get stitched back into the fabric of flashy clothes the next Friday night.”