Here, Take This, I Love You: Chapter 9

The Last American Valentine

You might remember my friend and longtime tour partner, Derrick C. Brown, from the epic poetry tour we did last spring, covering more than seven thousand miles of the East Coast on motorcycle. Aside from being a motorcycle-riding, gondolier-rowing, Tony-Hawk-loving poet and comedian, Derrick is also an accomplished publisher. In 2004, he founded the independent publishing house Write Bloody Publishing which became one of the biggest indie presses in the country. In the past twenty years they have published many fantastic collections of poetry from some of our best living poets (imo), including Dr. Mindy Nettifee, Oregon Poet Laureate Anis Mojgani, Sarah Kay, and Andrea Gibson.

One of the first books ever published by Write Bloody, The Last American Valentine, is a beautiful anthology of poems on the subject of love: from love poems to breakup poems, losing a loved one or yearning to have one. The poems in this anthology are filled with lust, longing, desire, and grief. I am proud to have two poems featured alongside many of my friends and favorite poets, including Derrick, Jeffrey McDaniel, and my own beloved writing mentor, the late Jack Hirschman.

Since love is in the air today, I’m giving away a copy of this first edition beauty. I even got Derrick to sign a little something special in it for you, and, as always, I will sign it too. Enjoy these luscious, wild, heart-wrenching poems and works of art by some of the best writers out there today.

And, Darklings, just in case this holiday bums you out a bit, here is something to remember from the founder of Galentine’s Day herself, Leslie Knope:

NOTE: Please review the full eligibility details, rules, and info below. All Paid, Founding, and Gift subscription recipients that have subscribed anytime before Friday, Feb. 16, 2024 at 5pm ET will be automatically entered into the Chapter 9 giveaway. The recipient will be notified via the email address connected to their Substack account. The notification email will be sent from LITDSubstack@gmail.com, so be sure to add that address to your contacts so you don’t miss out!