Void Fragments (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781522795810)

Written mostly during the late 1990s and early 2000s, this collection of poems, sketches, and essays will speak to anyone who has ever felt a little sad, alienated, cynical, capricious, or otherwise contemplative in a world where the transition from childhood to adulthood is at once invigorating and confounding.

Void Fragments is comprised of over 150 literary works that paint a pixelated picture of a young man coming of age in the rarefied atmosphere of the Southern California coast-a fractured world of sunny beaches and bleak rains, of blue-jean memories and childhood playgrounds, and of love and longing, heaven and hell, and empty urban landscapes.

From a poet who writes poetry for people who don't usually like poetry, many of James M. Tate's writings exhibit a devilish sense of humor, though his playfully innocent side is also on display. Silly, unsettling, thought-provoking, and profound-the range of moods and styles is broad and varied.

As expressive as it is resonant, Void Fragments beautifully captures the universal life experience of trying to find one's place in the world.