All the Violent Memories (First Cut)
“As meditations on war, these poems are revelation. Soulful, hell bent, fearless, riddled with pathos and hard won psychological truth. While Mr. Stevens draws upon his combat experience in Iraq for source material, what illuminates these poems are his abiding humanity and his preoccupation with the mysteries of the human heart. True war stories, but make it poetry.”
—Gabe Hudson, author of Dear Mr. President
“ ‘They are gone, and I hope it didn’t hurt.’ Through his honest and direct depictions of death, survivor’s guilt, and the alluring simplicity of war, J.B. Stevens documents how to be a veteran is to forever miss a part of yourself still out on the unfinished patrol. You don’t laugh in the face of death because you want to die, you laugh because it’s the best way to go. Haunting and visceral images that stick with you long after reading.”
— Zakariah Johnson
About the Author
J.B. Stevens lives in the southeastern United States with his wife and daughter.
He is a former U.S. Army Infantry Officer. He attained the rank of Captain before being honorably discharged. He saw combat in Iraq and earned numerous awards, including a Bronze Star.
He was a finalist for the Claymore Award, nominated for the Pushcart Prize, and won Mystery Tribune’s inaugural micro fiction contest. He’s been published by Out of the Gutter’s Flash Fiction Offensive, Close To The Bone, The Dead Mule School of Southern Literature, Thriller Magazine, The Means At Hand, Story and Grit, The Deadly Writers Patrol, and many others.
J.B. Stevens can be found online at:
Website: JB-Stevens.com
Twitter: IamJBStevens
Leave a Reply