To Brighten Your Day Immeasurably
sharing something I love
April 15, 2025 is release day for Joseph Massey’s new book of poetry. He’ll be appearing on The Megyn Kelly Show — you can hear it on all the podcast apps or watch it on her YouTube. (New episodes usually drop mid-afternoon, Eastern.)
Joseph is my favorite living poet.
It gives me real joy to support his work, because he’s the real thing — not one of those blue-haired MFA casualties barely qualified to steam oat milk, riding NEA grants into oblivion.
He’s a craftsman. His relationship to language is like a master carpenter’s to wood — reverent, exacting, and born of decades of attention to grain and joinery.
His new book shares a title with the poem he wrote for President Trump’s second Inauguration. You can watch a beautiful video reading of it here:
Here’s another of my favorites — also included in the new book.
Even if you’re not a big poetry reader, supporting Joseph is still a worthy use of a few bucks. Why? Because the more real poets — not grant-fattened TikTok performance clowns — who hit #1 in Amazon’s Poetry category, the better the whole damn culture gets. That’s why.
I’ve bought five copies — two for myself and three to give away to paid subscribers.
First three commenters to ask for one, it’s yours.
So many ways that you reinforce my decision to subscribe to your substack. This little snippet of support for others - Mr. Massey PLUS giving away copies - is yet another indication that yep, one of my best decisions in recent memory.
"He’s a craftsman. His relationship to language is like a master carpenter’s to wood — reverent, exacting, and born of decades of attention to grain and joinery."
You've quite a bit of the wordsmith in you, too, Holly.
I’d like one if you still have one.