POETRY FOR ALL.
“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 (2017)
#1 New Release in Hispanic American Poetry on Amazon
Call of the Void
(Foxx Press - 2015) (Swollen Appendices - 2022) – Poetry
"I'm falling out of bed languid and embalmed, scowling at post-modernism."
Call of the Void is the debut collection of poetry from Southern Californian author Brian R. Strauss. In this new and revised edition, Strauss crafts poignant scenes and challenging narratives centered on motifs of unrequited love, addiction, and toxic codependence. Strauss skillfully circumvents traditional poetic tropes and with a discerning eye for experimentation manages to incite intimations of rage, loneliness, and self-hatred.
He utilizes compelling stretches of dialogue juxtaposed against rich sensory passages highlighting both the immense beauty of living against the stark realities of trying to survive. Much in the way life flashes before one's eyes near potentially fatal moments, Strauss' masterful use of language and duality in poetic meaning illustrates a young writer emerging as a fatalistic burst of energy and hints at the greater mastery to come.
Praise for Call of the Void:
"Brian R. Strauss' Call of the Void is a work of experimental and original verse. Each page is its own experience of story poem. One does not simply read Strauss' collection and tuck the book away for the night; instead, it ignites sensation and true reflection with its imagery of broken glass, the flame from a lighter that dances, or the flapping wings of a fly."
-Briana Muñoz, Author of Everything is Returned to the Soil
"Brian Strauss' poetry is like a drunken walk home while the rest of the world sleeps: lusty, romantic, and sad. Call of the Void contemplates the ethereal qualities of love and language, which Strauss can render as cages or wings, depending on the mood. Despite how many one night stands, sordid adventures and unrequited romances drip from these pages, a passion for words is the real love story here. "
-Ryan Bradford, Founder of AwkSD
Strung Like Puppets
(Foxx Press - 2016) – Poetry
"i am drunk, crying, begging for forgiveness. i am tired of digging through piles of wrinkled clothes"
Strung Like Puppets is the sophomore collection of poetry by Brian R. Strauss, an enthralling set of poems focused on the menial and mundane of post-addiction life, external decay, and domesticated, nine-to-five "bliss." It is an examination of social expectations amid a whirlwind of emotions characterized by rapid and frenetic bouts of self-sabotage and self-destruction.
In this collection of poetry, it often poses the question “where does life go?” when it’s lost its plot, a sentiment many can arguably relate to. Between emotionally charged scenes and moments of quiet beautitude are fragments of a love letter to San Diego, Chula Vista, and Southern California’s distinct cultural identity.
Praise for Strung Like Puppets:
"Strung Like Puppets purposefully leaves out any air of pretension. It is often the case that newly published authors hide behind a rambling of nonsensical word vomit before their audience can sift through the regurgitation and find meaning. With Strauss however, there is no groping for intention. One feels as though they had been standing alongside him writing, reading, laughing, and crying."
-Khadeeja Ali, The Freeform Review
“Strauss is young and the spoils and sadness of youth are all over Puppets. What’s more, it’s nice to see him dabbling in varying types of diction and styles, and he isn’t afraid to make San Diego itself a character within his verses. The streets, the sounds, and even the smells of the city pop up throughout the book, proving Strauss’ natural ability for true evocativeness… It’s as if the reader was there with him.”
-Seth Combs, Editor-in-Chief of San Diego CityBeat
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