And So On... The BareBack Anthology

by Peter Jelen (Editor), Arthur Graham, Kurt Nimmo

Since 2012 BareBack has sought to publish writers who are straightforward, sincere, and passionate. And So On... The BareBack Anthology features the most innovative and honest poetry, fiction, and flash fiction that has appeared in BareBackMagazine since its inception. And So On... is bold, brave, and a great showcase of some amazingly talented new and established writers from around the world.

Genres: Poetry

132 pages, Paperback

Published September 16, 2016

About the author

Peter Jelen lived, worked, and travelled throughout Asia for seven years. He currently resides in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. He is the author of Better Than God, The Cure For Consciousness, and Impressions Of An Expatriate: China.

Reviews

[Arthur Graham · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection of poetry and prose I was honored to contribute to.

[Rupert Dreyfus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the title, I went into this anthology thinking that it was going to be a collection of short stories steeped in toilet humour. Something to do with the title, but it turns out I was completely wrong.

This is a collection of sophisticated poems and flash fiction which is both frank in its language and diverse in its subject matter. I read each entry twice; the second time realising that it was owed to a deeper connection which I couldn't quite place my finger on. I almost felt like I was a counsellor enjoying the creative endeavours of my patients.

Gems include, but aren't limited to, With All My Faculties by Arthur Graham, Boston Cream by Wayne F. Burke, Behind the Closed Door by Brenton Booth, Worthy Stench by Edward Anki and, my favourite of favourites, The Destruction of Our Playground by Bradford Middleton. The latter is probably my favourite of the anthology. It's a nostalgic reflection of the unwelcoming sweep of London gentrification.

This anthology certainly gives a whole new definition to the word 'bareback'. I'll be keeping my eyes open for more in the future.

[Jason · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always risky reading a book full of work by different authors, it's even riskier when you've only heard of one of those authors. I've been lucky this time because in this collection of short stories and poems there is not one dud.

I've read Arthur Graham's work before and his 3 submissions are really good, one I've read before and it's one of the nastiest things I've read. New authors that really impressed me this time around and that I will be checking out again were:

Kurt Nimmo - Fleas. Everybody has experienced this before, see a flea and suddenly you start itching all over, Kurt takes it one step further in trying to work out the conspiracy.

Matthew J. Hall - Soul Cancer (Favourite story) He manages to cram a whole relationship into the few seconds it takes a chunter to make eye-contact with you. I loved this one.

Kyle Heger - Tinnitus. Shocking stuff, a sufferer of hearing bells, reminded me big time of Ichi the killer. Had me cringing.

Steven Storrie - Bush Era Tattoos. The highlight of the book for me, the poem is pure class.

The Bareback anthology is well worth checking out, have a read and find some new authors to stalk...I mean read.

[Harry Whitewolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Anthologies will often be a mixed bag, and I’m afraid there were more pieces here that I didn’t particularly like more than ones I did. I guess that’s just down to personal taste, and maybe I’m just in an overly-critical mood, but there were definitely some gems that made it a worthwhile read. Top favourites were stories by Arthur Graham and Peter Jelen and poems by Ian Thomas Malone.

[Carl Miller Daniels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good stuff!

And I'm not just saying that 'cause I have four poems of my own in this anthology. I enjoyed the book a lot. Lots of good stuff in here! Special favorites: "RULES TO LIVE BY" and "homecoming" by Lee Thorn; "the sports illustrated swimsuit issue" by Ben Newell; and "The Whiskey Club" by Peter Jelen.

In fact, I'm still chuckling over Lee Thorn's "RULES TO LIVE BY" and am pleased to share the entire poem right here. Here goes:

RULES TO LIVE BY

#1. Nobody wants
to get sucked off
by a guy with
dirty fingernails.

Yep, still chuckling. So sure, I recommend that you buy a copy of And So On... The Bareback Anthology. There's a wide variety of material in here. There's stuff that'll make you laugh, and stuff that'll make you, um, real tense (see "The Whiskey Club" by Peter Jelen). Plus my own poems are pretty much fun, too.

Best wishes,

Carl Miller Daniels

[Rodney · Rating 4 out of 5]

A​ ​mix​ ​of​ ​poems​ ​and​ ​flash​ ​fiction​ ​from​ ​BareBack​ ​Press.​ ​Some​ ​were​ ​great,​ ​others​ ​were​ ​just​ ​ok. Overall​ ​a​ ​strong​ ​anthology​ ​with​ ​more​ ​gems​ ​than​ ​expected.​ ​I​ ​enjoyed​ ​the​ ​work​ ​from​ ​the​ ​following authors​ ​the​ ​most​ ​and​ ​will​ ​be​ ​looking​ ​for​ ​more​ ​from​ ​them:
Matthew​ ​J.​ ​Hall
Kyle​ ​Heger
Brenton​ ​Booth
Michael​ ​Estabrook
Bradford​ ​Middleton
Peter​ ​Jelen