Tyler Dempsey is an award winning poet. His brother is in prison. This collection of poems was "curated " from the letters Tyler received. The poems are sparse, yet harshly lush; full of observations, regret, love and hope. Even a bit of humor. Includes a recipe for Not Pizza.

Cover image by internationally recognized Joseph Rushmore.




"Hard-edged yet restless and heartfelt; laconic poems roughly hewn from behind prison walls.'

-Cyril Wong, author of Infinity Diary




From the publisher

Tyler tweeted to the world that he was looking for a publisher. I replied. Within the shortest time possible, we had the first version of Newspaper Drumsticks on Amazon. This was during the early days of Covid. The reviews were many, thoughtful and positive. Tyler's years of work gave us a playful-yet sobering- look at what it truly means to be in "lockdown".

Now, as masks are no longer required, we are launching a proper version of Newspaper Drumsticks; one that is less of a fragile signal flare, and more of a well-made torch. Newspaper Drumsticks is a classic, as profoundly simple (and American) as Blades of Grass. Tyler has transformed his brother's observations about life in a constant vicious circle of bureaucracy into Zen-like poems, each as meaningful and brief as ripples in a pond.

Stephen Black Toledo, Ohio May 26, 2021