Drunks and Other Poems of Recovery

There are rock stars of the slam-poetry world; poets who not only sell thousands of books but travel the country and perform for hundreds of fans at a time. Poets like the late Jack McCarthy, writer of eight books of poetry and whose newest work, Drunks and other poems of recovery, is a masterful collection for those who have made and are making the thorny journey through addiction.

In Drunks and other poems of recovery, McCarthy likens an AA meeting to an island of shipwrecked survivors. “Every night we gather around the fire and tell our stories. And the more we tell our stories, the clearer it becomes: it isn’t many stories we’re telling, it’s The Story,” says McCarthy. That’s what he was unparalleled at doing: telling his story while at the same time telling the tale of thousands.

Drunks and other poems of recovery will be McCarthy’s last book. He left this world earlier this year at age 73. His life was a full one; 40 years sober, a touring poet who traveled much of the United States and Canada, Ireland, Germany and Spain and an innovative writer of poetry and recovery. McCarthy is gone but due to his poetry and recorded performances, the essences of him will always be here.