The Season of Dark Ink

“As a Black man, I was born going bump in the night. Never cast as a friendly ghost, but rather an unholy spirit” —Derek D. Brown

Happy October (a.k.a. Halloween season)! Who else is as excited as I am about it? My costume is pressed and ready to go. To celebrate this month, we have a very special throwback feature—Dark Ink: A Poetry Anthology Inspired by Horror. An anthology inspired by horror? Honestly, I had plenty of presumptions about Dark Ink when it landed on my desk. Would I like it? Would it be relatable? Is it going to be overreaching? I mean how often is horror perfectly poetic without being cheesy? I have high standards when it comes to the horror genre. As an unbeliever in ghosts and demons and such, I find I am more thrilled by films that are satiated with fact over fiction. Horror that mirrors real life. Something that could actually happen. So when I cracked open this collection, I was pleasantly horrified…err…surprised.

Dark Ink is a cauldron of perfection—the right balance of fact with fiction. Even the poetry about zombies, vampires, and aliens, they each linger on your mind for long after you’ve finished reading. In between their lines they carry such riveting powerful truths and metaphors to everyday life. Whether it is grief, illness, aging, loss, loneliness, this book encapsulates them all in remarkable poetic form.

The chemistry of the authors collected in this anthology is a masterpiece! Though their tones and messages are so diverse, that underlying horror unites them not only as poets but as people as well, which is surely going to make our Dark Ink Anniversary Reading all the greater. Oh, did I not mention this reading earlier? Well SAVE THE DATE! To celebrate the one year anniversary of Dark Ink’s release, Moon Tide Press is hosting THE ANNIVERSARY READING on Thursday, October 17th at 7:00 p.m. at the Goldenwest Diner in Westminster, CA. The event is free and will feature Dark Ink poets reading their work, a costume contest, and the anthology at a discounted price.

This, thus far, is my favorite Moon Tide Press anthology I have read and I recommend it to anyone who loves the Halloween season. Grab your copy at the hauntingly discounted price of 15% off (see what I mean about cheesy?) either on the 17th at the anniversary reading or online all month long at www.moontidepress.com/books. Don’t miss out!