From the cover: Berecka's commedia is not so much divine as it is deeply human-a retrospective poetic, accompanied by a wince and a grin. Scott Cairns Author of Compass of Affection: Poems New & Selected Alan Berecka probes his blue collar roots with honesty and insight, depicting, with haunting detail and striking imagery, everything from family members who "smell of cabbage and onions" to the love "that pins us down." Ranging in tone from the elegiac to the hilarious, these impressive poems shimmer with craftsmanship, the work of a poet who takes his art seriously, who works the jagged stones of his poems until they sparkle on the page like faceted gems. Larry D. Thomas 2008 Texas Poet Laureate The hardest task of a serious writer is to be able to write funny, but Alan Berecka not only does this, he does it brilliantly. These are laugh-out-loud funny poems on child abuse and alcoholism, profanity and prayer, via some of the most unlikely subjects: the Pope's T-shirt, the Beatles' appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, Carl Yastrezmski, Jiffy Pop popcorn, Playboy magazine. These poems will both break your heart and alter your vision; I guarantee you will never look at the world in quite the same way again. Barbara Crooker Author, Line Dance and Radiance Berecka embraces the "flaw" without a hint of resignation-never hesitating to administer the sacrament of laughter where others might erect a wall of ridicule. This collection is a Eucharist, beginning to end. Bread and wine have their place; but the sacramental elements might just as well be baseball, popcorn, t-shirts, a puzzled Pope responding to a phrasebook reference to lost luggage-or the poet's old man flipping a bird. He has an uncanny ability to sense the presence of God in such acts, and that is a welcome invitation to take our shoes off and get comfortable on this holy ground we share. Steven Schroeder Virtual Artists Collective

The Comic Flaw

Literature & Fiction

Berecka, Alan

Poetry

NeoNuma Arts

Alan Berecka's Remembering the Body is one of the few poetry books I couldn't put down. These poems are high-energy, driving narratives that range from hilarious vignettes to poignant episodes of loss and injustice-and now and then one of these small, complete stories manages to be both. Berecka's special gift is a twisty irony that hauls your eyelids up. Try reading the first poem, "The Evolving Case for De-evolution," with a straight face. Peopled with characters you would love to meet or avoid, the poems are mocking and meta- physical, quizzical, sometimes angry, sometimes shoulder-shruggingly acceptant, sometimes romantic and sometimes cynical-but always intriguing. --Janet McCann, Professor of English Texas A&amp;M Alan Berecka's poems reveal truth in microcosm...and a pure heart weaving allegories that range from his native northern land to Texas. These poems will never die because truths are the same at all times in every heart...Because Alan's poetry is easily under- stood, some may misunderstand how superb a poet he is. It is hard to find words better organized to generate emotions than one sees and feels in Remembering the Body. --Cleatus Rattan, 2004 Texas Poet Laureate A son trying to outgrow a father, a sinner reckoning with saints, Alan Berecka evokes ancient Greece, summons Corpus Christi, quickens Wordsworth and wrestles with God. You will laugh and cry as you read these poems, but most of all, you will think what a good and haunting thing it is to be human. --Ken Hada, author of Spare Parts and The Way of the Wind

Remembering the Body

Mongrel Empire Press

The poems in 'With Our Baggage' remind us of the baggage we all carry and show us how to do it with grace. The range of subjects is vast, from baseball heroes to the failures of fathers, from being a poet to being Polish in South Texas, from God's radio to American machismo. But the real subject here is the human animal in its many glorious strivings and bumbling failures. The result is a vision of the world as a strange, funny, beautiful place. Though Berecka's poems are sometimes hilarious, tongue-in-cheek, and satiric, they are also painful, poignant, and bittersweet. These varied poems offer the reader a touching human response to incursions of the holy into everyday life.

With Our Baggage

Lamar University Press

Alan Berecka's collection of "work" poetry moves toward an ethical, even existential conclusion - honest but not brow-beating or self-righteousness. The poems unmask the false values of our work-world. Berecka's voice is not that of a lazy, jerk-off kid, but a man, now in his sixties, who has played the game with ironic, rebellious effort, in the spirit of Camus' rebel hero, perhaps even approaching the societal-resistance of Melville's Bartleby. But Berecka writes with damn-fine humor, and his work is always graced with his self-effacing style and redeemed by his soul-affirming humanity. - Ken Hada, author of Contour Feathers

A Living is Not a Life: A Working Title

Black Spruce Press

There is much ado about monkey in Berecka and Klossner’s poignant and humorous search for meaning in The Hamlet of Stittsville. It’s monkeys all the way down, with Shakespearian commentary on current politicalevents mixed with the deep, personal observation we’ve come to expect in Berecka’s work. Klossner’s art offers both counterpoint and reflection in Berecka’s tongue-in-cheek universe. Together they pack a knock-out punch that will, for an infinite moment, take our minds off the baloney of our political present and give us the comical perspective necessary to enjoy our dawning days. L.A. Times Bestselling Author Stephen Jay Schwartz Alan Berecka starts with a wily premise of infinite monkeys, infinite typewriters, and time. But the monkeys are us and time is running out as sad little monkeys continue to ring the bell, hoping for a banana. And we all know what the definition of insanity is. A subtle comment on society done with scalpel and Berecka walks away with clean hands. If we are changed by observing, then this book will do a great deal of good in the world. Red River Review Editor Michelle Hartman You Saw Me Laughing in the Chapel could be the title of any given collection of Alan Berecka because his poems have that endearing mixture of Fun and Faith (even if the Faith is a bit corroded by Doubt). Monkeys and infinity are perfect subjects for Berecka's brand of art, with its thoughtfulness, humor and complete candor. Professor Emeritus University of North Texas Richard Sale

The Hamlet Of Stittville

Village Books Press