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The characters in Nathan Graziano's dark fictional backdrop are waiting--waiting for the next fix, the next fling, the next inevitable miscue or mistake. This collection of short prose pieces tackles the breakdown of the modern marriage, the existential despair of technological times, and the ubiquity of the current opioid epidemic. Without flinching, Graziano introduces a hardened world populated by the desperate and vulnerable people we'd rather ignore while stringing our lights and singing our carols. Almost Christmas reminds us that our myths are simply fancy lies.

It's 1992. Kurt Cobain is alive, flannel is everywhere, and Hamlet Burns is starting college. Little does he know he faces four years of rowdy roommates, STDs, and ill-timed explosions of gas. Along the way, Ham drinks a few beers, breaks a few hearts, and has a near-fatal brush with Hootie and the Blowfish. Some Sort of Ugly is the tale of Ham's journey from boy to man, and the women that help him get there.The book is a mix of raunchy humor and nostalgic wisdom, and a true coming-of-age journey.

a book of poetry by Nathan Graziano

"Graziano reminds us that young love is often flooded by self-doubt and self-loathing, that sometimes the hero and the villain are inseparable. His ability to create multidimensional characters who are not afraid to offend sets him apart from other writers. My Next Bad Decision shows how the transition from young adult to parent is anything but neat and that is what makes these poems engaging. We, as readers, can read about transgressions that we have committed but don't have the guts to share." -from the Introduction by Rebecca Schumedja

In Honey, I'm Home, Nathan Graziano gives readers an unflinching look into the mercurial worlds of marriage, parenthood, and vice. With an intrepid poetic pen, Graziano introduces a motley cast of characters, including alcoholic neighbors and sages at the Home Depot. At times his poetry will sojourn into the surreal--sharing coffee with Depression and receiving visits from the ghosts of ex-girlfriends--but, mostly, Graziano's bold, unostentatious verse digs its heels into reality and doesn't turn from an often unsettling truth. From the birth of his first child through his first year of marriage, Graziano chronicles the human condition with a discerning poetic eye. Honest, compassionate, eclectic, and often funny, Honey, I'm Home is Nathan Graziano's most accomplished collection of poetry to date. --sunnyoutsideThis chapbook is in Adobe Garamond Pro, which was designed by Robert Slimbach as a digital interpretation of the roman types of Claude Garamond and the italic types of Robert Granjon. Design by David McNamara.

Poetry. After the last toast, when the din of the wedding bells has died and the photo albums have slumped into the closet, the stark truths become exposed. In AFTER THE HONEYMOON, Nathan Graziano takes a sober and often humorous look at the joys and malaise of marriage and parenthood, our demons and addictions, and the demise of youth in American culture. Following Teaching Metaphors, his critically praised poetic portrait of public schools, AFTER THE HONEYMOON is Graziano's most diverse and ambitious collection to date.

TRACHODON 2 features literary writing by some of today's most engaging authors. In "Forked River," Oregon Book Award-winner Scott Nadelson takes us into the offices of the New Jersey state government, and into the heart of a lobbyist whose life is about to change; in "Therapy," Michael Delp explores the high cost of healing through a darkly humorous story; Brian Maxwell shows us the teeming Florida coast through the eyes of a naive but free-thinking young man; essayist Shannon Huffman Polson shows us the rewards and responsibilities of inheriting an Alaskan log cabin; Abby E. Murray contributes two poems "whose personal language is part of that richness we cannot do without" (Marvin Bell); and Nathan Graziano's poem "In Anticipation of My Next Bad Decision" delivers exactly what it promises. Also features black and white photography by Shane Darwent. TRACHODON, A Dinosaur of a Little Magazine, is published twice a year, in March and September. Visit www.trachodon.org for information on subscribing, submitting, or advertising.

The best fiction and poetry featured over the past year in the online literary journal Drunk Monkeys. Featuring fiction from Bud Smith and Gessy Alvarez and poetry from Kevin Ridgeway, Frankie Met, William Lessard. Plus essays on Star Wars, illustrations, the Donald Trump campaign speech generator, and much more!