Poetry
Date Published: March 22, 2024
Publisher: MindStir Media
Laughing is Forever is my second book. And while it’s gritty, rhythmic, dark and dangerous it’s also fun, quirky, and inquisitive. Topics range from growing up in the Deep South to questioning the mainstream narrative of how it all . . . came to be. I want people who don’t read much and who hate poetry (the largest demographic) to give this collection a chance and fall in love with books by reading something that they can relate to and/or be awed by. Laughing is Forever is a standalone book, a brand-new beast, but follows in the footsteps of Blameforest in the sense that it’s reinventing what poetry can be. And hopefully inspiring folks to take risks with their own work and stand out from the maddening crowd.
Reviews for Laughing is Forever
"These are the kind of tattered, beautiful poems I often search for and rarely find-the ones that explain, 'Just be happy with a beer after work. You know, quit all the complaining. It won't change a single thing. It just prolongs the suffering.' "
-Sean Thomas Dougherty, author of Death Prefers the Minor Keys
"Stocks's writing has a powerful immediacy, and his poems are packed with both profanity and pop-culture references . . ."
-Kirkus Reviews
"This collection is brave, unflinching and hits you like a punch in the jaw. It is at times brutal and vicious but also tender and intelligent. I was reminded of early Eminem in the poignant anger of some of the poems."
-Sam Szanto, author of If No One Speaks
Introduce yourself and tell me about what you do:
Jason Stocks is a father, husband, son, writer, and teacher living in south Florida. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in a chicken house, washed dishes, bagged groceries, waited tables and sold everything from cars to airplane parts. His first full-length poetry collection—Blameforest—was published in 2021 (MindStir Media) and was recently named a finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards for contemporary poetry. He grew up in Mississippi listening to hip-hop and rock, and much of his work references his favorite groups and broaches topics like poverty, domestic violence, demasculinization, and holding on to dreams in the face of impending disaster. His personas are also inquisitive, asking big questions, the answers to which may leave us changed in the best way. When not writing, he enjoys reading vintage YA horror, riding his Haro cruiser, and spending time with the family.
Tell me more about your journey as an author, including the writing processes:
I started writing when I was very young, elementary school, I think. I always loved reading the liner notes of my dad’s blues and rock albums, and that may have something to do with why I eventually began to write poetry. Or, write something in the shape of poetry. I wrote fiction most of my life and studied it at university, but while in the mountains of Vermont, at Goddard College, I read a poetry book that changed my writing path forever. I read Sonja Sekula, Grace in a Cow’s Eye by Kathrin Schaeppi and everything I wrote after that looked like poetry. So, I pursued it. I went so far as to get a BFA and MFA to help me figure out why I do what I do. In all, I’ve been writing for damn near 40 years, and I’ve fought (and continue to fight) the good fight to see my work in hard print and finally being shared with the world.
Tell me about your Book:
Laughing is Forever is my second book. And while it’s gritty, rhythmic, dark and dangerous it’s also fun, quirky, and inquisitive. Topics range from growing up in the Deep South to questioning the mainstream narrative of how it all . . . came to be. I want people who don’t read much and who hate poetry (the largest demographic) to give this collection a chance and fall in love with books by reading something that they can relate to and/or be awed by. Laughing is Forever is a standalone book, a brand-new beast, but follows in the footsteps of Blameforest in the sense that it’s reinventing what poetry can be. And hopefully inspiring folks to take risks with their own work and stand out from the maddening crowd.
Any message for our readers— Everything this book stands for is in the pursuit of Truth.
About the Author
Jason Stocks is a writer and teacher living in south Florida. Before becoming a teacher, he worked in a chicken house, washed dishes, bagged groceries, waited tables, and sold cars. His first full-length poetry collection--Blameforest--was published in 2021 and was recently named a finalist in the 2024 American Legacy Book Awards for contemporary poetry. When not writing, he enjoys reading vintage YA horror, riding his Haro cruiser, and spending time with the family.
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