Work Is Work

Franco Amati’s debut poetry collection is all about what it means to work. Ask any creative person how they feel when confronted with the question: “So, what do you do for work?” Usually it’s a mix of uncertainty, shame, and maybe even downright anger. The poems in this collection take us beyond this thoughtless inquiry, giving us an intimate look at the soul crushing despair of the daily grind. Where time is traded for money. And identity is eclipsed by employment status. In his trademark raw confessional style, Franco documents his lifelong vocational struggles, attempting to reconcile the needs of his own art with the demands of what society considers “work” in the traditional sense. With direct, unadorned prose, Franco cuts through the bullshit, shining a critical yet hopeful light on the topics and themes of everyday working life most people are too afraid to even talk about.