EXISTENTIAL COWBOY
Coming Spring 2026.
The New Poetry Collection by Brian R. Strauss
Featured Cover Art: Sol partiendo el humo
What is Existential Cowboy?
Grief. Age. Mortality.
Brian Strauss returns with his first collection of poetry in nine years. Existential Cowboy is a collection of poems that center on universal themes of death, age, grief, and the harrowing journey of grappling with one’s own mortality.
Nearly a decade away has done little to dull Strauss’ distinct sense of wordplay, compelling sensory perception, and ability to convey intimate scenes dripping with a tragic state of yearning. Strauss takes the phantom pain of loss and the grim introspection that follows and crafts a poetic narrative that only time, memory, and experience could craft.
Pre-Release Praise for Existential Cowboy:
“Existential Cowboy unpretentiously romanticizes everything from the low-tone, bedroom conversation to the awkward mini-mart interaction while day-drinking. ”
–Briana Muñoz, Author of Everything is Returned to the Soil
“Brian Strauss’ Existential Cowboy feels like a sea change of monumental proportions, a portrait of an artist coming into his prime. The whirlwind of emotions that defined earlier works like Strung Like Puppets and Call of the Void has been replaced with a laser beam: focused, intentional, and poignant. There’s a maturity here that feels earned in the hardest way possible, and melancholy drips from every page. But that’s not to say Existential Cowboy is a downer. Rather, it’s a hug. It’s commiseration. These poems remind us that we reinvent ourselves many times throughout our lives, and every new iteration is simultaneously painful and beautiful.”
–Ryan Bradford, Founder of AWKSD
Brian R. Strauss
Meet the Author:
Brian Strauss is a writer from Chula Vista, CA. He is the author of poetry collections Call of the Void (2015) and Strung Like Puppets (2016), both previously published by Foxx Press. His work has been published in over 20 underground literary magazines including the nationally awarded Zaum Literary Magazine. He completed his BA in English with a concentration in Creative Writing at Sonoma State University.
"Strauss’ metaphors are eloquently integrated within his poetry, making it accessible for the average appraiser. Each poem brings San Diego culture to life. Even if the reader has never been, they can actively see, taste, smell, touch, and, most importantly, hear San Diego and all of the echoes within its boundaries." - The Freeform Review
Photo by Joshuat Nava, 2022
Photo by Francesca Walker, 2016
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