Rudely Torn From Arms of Sleep (Paperback or Softback)

A new volume of thoughtful, finely-crafted, intense and diverse poems from the author of Songs from the Back Row (UnCollected Press), Cold War Piano (Ober-Limbo Verlag), Last Poems (Ober-Limbo Verlag) and October (Ober- Limbo Verlag).

"The whole experience of a Doug May poem is remarkable. We are so inclined in this Western Culture of ours to over-express. To identify sometimes the most mundane things as "remarkable", "amazing", as "awesome". And perhaps I would argue that in most cases, depending on hyperbole in this manner is facile - even lazy. But when it comes to Doug's poetry, using effusive language is not a lack of discipline; it is concerted truth-telling. A Doug May poem for me can be like watching the power and elegance of a Cheetah running down its prey at sixty miles an hour. Or, like walking out on the back patio and seeing a hummingbird, with its profoundly articulate bill, claiming nectar from fresh blossoms. I can call upon a whole series of prototypical images to encourage you to read Doug's book. Doug May's poetry is the complete experience - derived from incisive intellectual insight and emotional intelligence. They are some of the most moving and impactful poems that I have ever read." Henry Stanton, publisher and editor of UNCOLLECTED PRESS.

Doug May is a member of the neurodivergent community. He has worked a lot of different jobs, everything from production typing to answering phones, delivering flow-ers, emptying bedpans, mopping floors, stocking display shelves and performing covers of Charlie Daniels and The Rolling Stones. His poetry has appeared in Breath and Shadow, Wordgathering, Raw Art Review, Beloit Poetry Journal, Cathexis Northwest, and other poetry publications.