Notes on Hard Times
From the poet's opening "note for hard times," the stage is set for these empathetic and positive-leaning poems, many of them performance pieces. The titles alone indicate this writer's interests and passions: to battle for social justice, to express outrage against hypocrisies and home-grown terror and to celebrate grace, love, and music as antidotes to the horrors and crimes of "those who govern." --Barry Wallenstein
"How rare to open a book of poems and to turn down the page corners for every other poem, as if to say, "I like this one, too." Writing about jazz, politics, love and the solitary figure of "isolato" (as D.H. Lawrence calls him), Austin is always, clear, forceful, and insightful." —Stephanie Rauschenbush, American Book Review
"It is the poet's job to record "hard times" to help negotiate our "imperfect Eden." Paul Austin gladly, and worthily, takes up this burden." Ken Hada, author, Bring an Extry Mule
"These pieces … grit their teeth to hold on to what good is left… and tear into the flesh of all that's got to go. They sing the blues of what is killing us… while blowing the jazz of "But we ain't dead yet." —Nathan Brown, Poet Laureate of Oklahoma