LatinosUSA

Praise for The Eternals

Well, it seems that Flanagan has finally opened the casket.
And inside?
We find an inflatable doll instead of your average everyday, unoriginal boring corpse. But in this case with lines of poems that range from sarcasm, humor and wit to even the whimsical and undertones of serious yet fantastical subject matter we find both delight and tragedy in each of those lines about everyone from a «headline rock star’s» demise to Shelley swimming in the deep end of the pool. Flanagan’s work has captured all these moments and like the gifted writer he is has taken both reality & imagination to a different level. «The Eternals» is a verse-clever book that you read whilst’ all the while thinking » There is a man, a poet behind the curtain that sees things in a different light» And this is definitely a unique light and as always, a unique poet & voice.
– R.M. Engelhardt (Author of Of Spirit, Ash & Bone)

In his book “The Eternals,” Ryan Quinn Flannagan once more proves himself to be a master of colorful word and artistic metaphor. There are deep meanings hidden in his poems, that take on a life of their own. I loved the bits of sometimes dark wit and satire that were scattered about in many of his poems, such as in “Suicide King,” and “Brian Jones Died in Winnie the Pooh’s Swimming Pool.”
Ryan’s imagination astounds me. His creations are original and mind blowing. This is a book for the true poetry lover. No cute little rhymes here! You need to take your time to digest this tantalizing dessert!
– Ann Christine Tabaka – poet & writer
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Ryan Quinn Flanagan’s The Eternals might be summarized, People are a general annoyance with arms (“Hookah Flailing Fog”). These are poems from the mind of a grumpy old man, and I mean that in a good way; an old man muttering under his breath about kids these days and the uselessness of TV and the general state of things. This collection of poems is firmly grounded in the modern world. Character portraits in Flanagan’s hands feel like archetypes: the standup comedian, the private detective, the public defender, the mafioso, the morning jogger. Everyday objects, like weather vanes and packets of ketchup, acquire a sort of totemic power. Flanagan illustrates humanity’s uneasy cohabitation with nature, which has its own squalor (rabid coyotes, cats murdering songbirds). A poet keenly aware of his own foibles, his own mortality, Flanagan shows us well lived-in bodies as microcosms for a well lived-in planet– both are careless yet care too much, both are jaded yet long for softness. Flanagan’s lyrical language takes the edge off his lacerating observations. His unique poetic voice is filled with assonance, alliteration, onomatopoeia, and breathtakingly original turns of phrase. Earth might be a messy place, but Flanagan’s poems never are. The thoughtfulness and playfulness of his phrasing proves the affection beneath these lines. Above all, The Eternals show us that, despite everything, we can still—well, maybe not love this world, but find a place in it.
– Lauren Scharhag, author of Languages, First and Last

Available in Paperback Format on Amazon

Ryan Quinn Flanagan is a Canadian-born author who lives in Elliot Lake, Ontario, Canada with his wife and many bears that rifle through his garbage. His work has been published both in print and online in such places as: The New York Quarterly, Rusty Truck, Evergreen Review, Red Fez, Horror Sleaze Trash and The Blue Collar Review. He enjoys listening to the blues and cruising down the TransCanada in his big blacked out truck.