WAITING MY TURN TO GO UNDER THE KNIFE
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TP2-04
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TOM PICCIRILLI
In 2000, Tom Piccirilli won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry with his collection A Student of Hell. In 2002, Piccirilli raised the bar with his second collection, This Cape is Red Because I’ve Been Bleeding. In 2004, Piccirilli outdid himself with his most personal poetry collection to date. Waiting My Turn To Go Under the Knife confronts us with some of our greatest fears. Piccirilli stabs and twists the knife deep so that we feel the emotion and power of every poem. Piccirilli was one of the strongest voices in horror fiction, but when he set his sights on poetry, his literary vision sliced inward to examine the lonely human psyche. As a poet, he stands alone. This collection features exquisite artwork by Caniglia, who has illustrated Piccirilli's work several times before.
- July 2004 978-0-09746573-4-9
- Cover art by Caniglia
- Limited hardcover signed & numbered by the author. Only 250 copies. (Sold Out)
- Bram Stoker Award nominee
In 2000, Tom Piccirilli won the Bram Stoker Award for Superior Achievement in Poetry with his collection A Student of Hell. In 2002, Piccirilli raised the bar with his second collection, This Cape is Red Because I’ve Been Bleeding. In 2004, Piccirilli outdid himself with his most personal poetry collection to date. Waiting My Turn To Go Under the Knife confronts us with some of our greatest fears. Piccirilli stabs and twists the knife deep so that we feel the emotion and power of every poem. Piccirilli was one of the strongest voices in horror fiction, but when he set his sights on poetry, his literary vision sliced inward to examine the lonely human psyche. As a poet, he stands alone. This collection features exquisite artwork by Caniglia, who has illustrated Piccirilli's work several times before.
Sold out
"I find this book remarkable on a number of levels. First, the poems themselves are tight and packed with on-target imagery — in the service of narrative. They are decidedly not obscure and read like wicked, funny, sometimes deeply troubling short stories. Then, together, they form a kind of autobiography-of-the-soul. I've never said it before about a book of poetry—but it's a real page-turner."
—Jack Ketchum, author of The Girl Next Door
"This collection of verse by the author of the notable novel, A Choir of Ill Children, is a great example of just how good horror poetry can speak to the human condition. I dare say this is a "literary" book because Piccirilli investigates death and pain in a way that cuts close to the heart. You feel sorry for his narrators, who are universally traumatized by their very real pasts or suffering deeply from the existential horrors of everyday life. There's a lot of twisted humor in this book, too—as is always evident in Pic's flair for long titles which are virtually whole poems in and of themselves (consider "When the Proper Spelling of Nietzsche Becomes a Metaphor for Age, Love, Loss, Mercy, and the Rage That Wants Out (with Pigeons)"). I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this is one of Piccirilli's most creatively playful and deeply dark poetry books, and if you call yourself a lover of poetry it's the must-read of the year."
—Michael Arnzen, author of Gorelets
"I find this volume quite readable, if a little unsettling. Most of the poems deal with fear of one variety or another, disease, death, the bad guys, uncertainty. Some of the poems struck a particularly resonant chord because of the recent prolonged death of a close friend. I'm not sure which direction this book will nudge you, but you will not remain unmoved."
—Don D'Ammassa, Critical Mass
"This astounding new collection of poetry of the darkest kind is presently a contender for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Best Poetry Collection. And no wonder! Each and every poem is a stunner that identifies and magnifies the unbearable horror of being...This is a truly unforgettable collection. Tom Piccirilli knows that the pretty shiny things like Christmas Day and romance and friendship are often twisted and hideous just beneath the surface. Beautifully wrought in blood and despair, these poems are terrifying, sad and bleakly gorgeous. You will find yourself somewhere in these pages and, when you do, you will want to scream. TombKeeper's highest recommendation."
--Vault of Horror
"Waiting My Turn To Go Under The Knife is a bloody, vicious and gleeful collection. It’s personal and it’s insane. the poems tend to tell short, perverse narratives, but they’re slightly more anecdotal, as if Pic is the lead character in more of the stories. The force of these poems comes from how they explore personal, or tangible, fears. Made up or not, these are eerie happenings that, mostly, could actually happen. An encounter with a streetwalker, a taxi ride to a cemetery, or the strange mental state of someone awaiting an operation, they’re spooky – but also authentic and gripping."
--Spider Words
—Jack Ketchum, author of The Girl Next Door
"This collection of verse by the author of the notable novel, A Choir of Ill Children, is a great example of just how good horror poetry can speak to the human condition. I dare say this is a "literary" book because Piccirilli investigates death and pain in a way that cuts close to the heart. You feel sorry for his narrators, who are universally traumatized by their very real pasts or suffering deeply from the existential horrors of everyday life. There's a lot of twisted humor in this book, too—as is always evident in Pic's flair for long titles which are virtually whole poems in and of themselves (consider "When the Proper Spelling of Nietzsche Becomes a Metaphor for Age, Love, Loss, Mercy, and the Rage That Wants Out (with Pigeons)"). I could go on and on, but suffice it to say that this is one of Piccirilli's most creatively playful and deeply dark poetry books, and if you call yourself a lover of poetry it's the must-read of the year."
—Michael Arnzen, author of Gorelets
"I find this volume quite readable, if a little unsettling. Most of the poems deal with fear of one variety or another, disease, death, the bad guys, uncertainty. Some of the poems struck a particularly resonant chord because of the recent prolonged death of a close friend. I'm not sure which direction this book will nudge you, but you will not remain unmoved."
—Don D'Ammassa, Critical Mass
"This astounding new collection of poetry of the darkest kind is presently a contender for the 2004 Bram Stoker Award for Best Poetry Collection. And no wonder! Each and every poem is a stunner that identifies and magnifies the unbearable horror of being...This is a truly unforgettable collection. Tom Piccirilli knows that the pretty shiny things like Christmas Day and romance and friendship are often twisted and hideous just beneath the surface. Beautifully wrought in blood and despair, these poems are terrifying, sad and bleakly gorgeous. You will find yourself somewhere in these pages and, when you do, you will want to scream. TombKeeper's highest recommendation."
--Vault of Horror
"Waiting My Turn To Go Under The Knife is a bloody, vicious and gleeful collection. It’s personal and it’s insane. the poems tend to tell short, perverse narratives, but they’re slightly more anecdotal, as if Pic is the lead character in more of the stories. The force of these poems comes from how they explore personal, or tangible, fears. Made up or not, these are eerie happenings that, mostly, could actually happen. An encounter with a streetwalker, a taxi ride to a cemetery, or the strange mental state of someone awaiting an operation, they’re spooky – but also authentic and gripping."
--Spider Words
- ABOUT THE AUTHOR