Though the alpha and omega of Steve Coughlin’s poetry remains the single traumatic event that irrevocably unsettled his family decades ago, many of these poems demonstrate a playful, almost absurdist wistfulness, as he lauds the 1990s, cross-examines Ronald McDonald, and imagines his suave, hipster alter ego hobnobbing with Hollywood stars. In Deep Cuts, Coughlin juxtaposes poems of calm and astute journalistic narrative with laugh-out-loud poems of whimsical imagination, hoping perhaps to rectify-to rewrite-all those long-ago moments that went awry.

-Cal Hitzrot

These poems are chock-full of music and movie stars and the pull of the open road. They are full of the ache of longing, the piercing pain of loss, and the humor that helps us handle both longing and loss. Coughlin’s writing is observant, assured, open-hearted, witty, and wise. Life is challenging in these poems, but we come away from them ready to embrace those challenges, prepared to unearth the nuggets of redemption that are surely there as well.

-Brad Wilburn