{"product_id":"9781328518132_tap-out","title":"Tap Out","description":"\u003cp\u003e\"Charts the gritty, physical terrain of blue-collar masculinity.\"―\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eNew \u0026amp; Noteworthy\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e  “Kunz arrives with real poetic talent.”\u003cb\u003e—\u003ci\u003eThe Millions, \u003c\/i\u003e“Must Read Poetry”\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"[A] gritty, insightful debut.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eWinner of the 2019 Julia Ward Howe Award for Poetry\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eApproach these poems as short stories, plainspoken lyric essays, controlled arcs of a bildungsroman, then again as narrative verse. \u003ci\u003eTap Out\u003c\/i\u003e, Edgar Kunz’s debut collection, reckons with his working‑poor heritage. Within are poignant, troubling portraits of blue‑collar lives, mental health in contemporary America, and what is conveyed and passed on through touch and words―violent, or simply absent.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYet Kunz’s verses are unsentimental, visceral, sprawling between oxys and Bitcoin, crossing the country restlessly. They grapple with the shame and guilt of choosing to leave the culture Kunz was born and raised in, the identity crises caused by class mobility. They pull the reader close, alternating fierce whispers and proud shouts about what working hands are capable of and the different ways a mind and body can leave a life they can no longer endure. This hungry new voice asks: after you make the choice to leave, what is left behind, what can you make of it, and at what cost? \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eWorking-Class Family:\u003c\/b\u003e Unflinching portraits of a blue-collar New England upbringing, the bonds forged in hardship, and the moments that break them.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003ePoems about Masculinity:\u003c\/b\u003e A visceral exploration of what is passed down from man to man through fists, hard labor, and the things left unsaid.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eClass Mobility:\u003c\/b\u003e Grapples with the guilt of leaving a life behind, the identity crises that follow, and the impossible question of what is owed to the people and places you escape.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eNarrative Poetry:\u003c\/b\u003e More like short stories than traditional verse, each poem tells a raw, unforgettable tale of survival, memory, and the search for a place to call home.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e","brand":"Edgar Kunz","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47006992367765,"sku":"9781328518132","price":4.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/x750_016b5b82-0ea4-438b-a5a6-535cc2232d31.jpg?v=1776992618","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9781328518132_tap-out","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}