Published by Blackheath Books
Publication date: October 2008
Where are the Rebels?
Seemingly from out of nowhere emerges a startling collection of poems from a writer prepared to leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of truth, beauty, and brutality. Ridgwell’s poems will drag you down into the dark alleys of the literary underground with a compelling combination of ferocity, melancholy, and sad hung over blues refrains.
In this slim, but important volume the reader will encounter dead strippers, dead girlfriends, deadbeat jobs, and the beauty and banality of modern existence in all its convoluted complexity. Fight fire with fire, says Ridgwell, and be prepared to rock and roll right to the very bitter end!
Where are the Rebels is a ground-breaking and thought provoking collection, a must have for any adventurous and esoteric reader, and the literary equivalent of a fully-automated and loaded AK47!
Blackheath books are pleased to present Joseph Ridgwell’s first collection in a limited edition chapbook, each copy personally signed by the author.
Praise for Ridgwell’s writing:
‘Joe Ridgwell is a man to watch. He's stacked with talent. This book of poems is just the beginning. Look out world.’ -- Mark SaFranko (Author of Hating Olivia and Lounge Lizard
http://www.murderslim.com/loungeshop.html)
‘Joe Ridgwell is the kind of poet that those obnoxious fucking poetry critics hate. He didn't go to school and swallow the classics, and come out regurgitating them for up-their-own-arse poetry journals that nobody reads. He's an East End geezer who wields stanzas like some people wield Stanley knives. In some idealistic alternate reality, where our national drug of choice is something a bit stronger than reality TV, Joe Ridgwell would the fucking poet laureate.’ -- Tony O’Neill Author of Digging the Vein and Down and Out on Murder Mile.
http://www.tonyoneill.net/
‘Tough...raw...from the heart, and from the gut. Ridgwell might be the best young writer out there.’ -- Mikael Covey - editor
litupmagazine
About the author
Joe grew up in the East End of London and left school with few qualifications. He then embarked on a succession of menial jobs. After being stabbed in a bar brawl he decided it was time to leave the country and promptly travelled the world. He stayed in Australia for five years living mostly in the red-light district of Kings Cross Sydney until he became an illegal immigrant. To avoid imprisonment and deportation Joe then went to Thailand and brought a share in the world's smallest bar, the now defunct Barcelona Bar. After fleeing Thailand with a tail between his legs he finally returned to London where he lives and writes to this day.
http://josephridgwell.blogspot.com/