
Halfway
Decent Sinners
by Michael Cleary
Publisher:
CW Books
(February 2006)
ISBN:
1933456191
Order
Book
Cover Design
by
Daniel Cleary

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REVIEWS: |
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Anne-Marie
Oomen |
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These
poems couple boyhood shenanigans with a spiritual heart,
a brilliant mix Cleary first established in his award-winning
book, Hometown U.S.A. which won
the 1992 American Book Series Award. more... |
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Gary
Kay |
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Rattle: Poetry for the 21st
Century
Review of Halfway Decent Sinners
by Gary Kay
<www.rattle.com>
Halfway Decent Sinners,
Michael Cleary's second book (his first was Hometown, USA,
San Diego Press), explores with skill and sensitivity
numerous subjects that cover the broad range of human
experience. A recurring theme in most is the glories
and perils of the body. A fine example is "Boys Skinny Dipping
at the Y in Winter." On the one hand, it is a lyric,
celebrating the spontaneity of youth and the power and
prowess of the body. Yet on a subtler level, it is an
elegy, lamenting the loss of innocence and the inevitable
decline of the physical. This double-edged dynamic is
sustained throughout. more... |
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New
Works Review |
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The
back cover photo of Michael Cleary captures a man with
twinkling eyes and mischievous smile. His poetry
reflects that humor, but Cleary's work is multi-faceted. One
critic extols his "eloquent exploration
of our flawed human condition." This poetry
is, indeed, drawn from a world he observes with a keen
eye, then mourns or celebrates through a facile weaving
of words. The
Church becomes "a sacred rigamarole of faith." Youthful
fear is "dumb hope doing
its best not to shudder or let go." Humorous.
Eloquent. Facile. Angry. Empathetic. Cleary's poetry is
all these
things and more. more... |
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The Florida Book Review |
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Perhaps every poet should drive a beer truck. Perhaps every poet should grow up with the rigorous rigmarole of Catholicism. If that were to happen, then, and only then, would a poet craft a book as funny, sorrowful and beautiful as Michael Cleary’s Halfway Decent Sinners. more... |
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POEMS: |
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Lucky
Shirt |
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Original
Sin |
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Altar
Boy’s First Mass |
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POEMS,
AUDIO VERSION: |
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Introduction
(John Quirk) |
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“Chemo
Sabe” |
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“Sister
Lard Ass & the Squirt Gun” |
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READER
CORRESPONDENCE: |
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Kevin
Walzer |
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Michael
Cleary's Halfway Decent Sinners
is a book unlike most of what we've published: unabashedly
funny. The book is full of tales of quirky characters and
their all-too-human foibles, narrated chiefly in the context
of a Roman Catholic upbringing, and rendered with affection.
Cleary has a sharp eye for character, and is unsparing of
himself (if one may presume that many of the poems' narrators
are versions of the author) as he is of anyone else: but
also as forgiving, as well. more... |
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Vincennes
University |
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This
letter serves as an invitation to share both your poetry
and teaching skills in several venues on the campus of
Vincennes University in Vincennes, Indiana, on April
19-20, 2007. On April 20, the English Department and
Humanities Division sponsor POETRY ON THE GREEN, an annual
event that we would like you to participate in. more... |
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ORDER:
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Order
Halfway Decent Sinners & Audio CD |
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Printable
Order Form |
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RECOMMEND
THIS BOOK TO A FRIEND:
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