Review: `Only the best work can be produced when the writer no longer cares of satisfying the reader.' From Oscar Wilde reference
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 30, 2013
RA Faith is a conundrum: no biographical data available, no country of origin, not even gender is defined. True, on of the many very brief stories in this collection is titled REVIEW OF RA FAITH'S BIBLIOGRAPHY AND WRITING STYLE but with the reversal of the initials of the author's name we are lead to believe this is likely placed in the collection to further confuse us: in this story AR Faith is a female and competing with another writer for comparison. So with no background wither in the book or on the site where the book is for sale or even a scan of the Internet and associated sites where discoveries can be made, RA Faith remains anonymous.The book is an odd one - a gathering of poems short and long, stories that range from one page to several, topics that are both contemporary (as in PAGLIACCI  - a conversation about impact of cinema star Liam Neeson in `Taken', COCAINE BLUES - a one page thought about a man's perception of his drug possession) timeless (as in PANOPTICAN PRISON - a particularly clever thought process), surreal (as in YOUTH IN ASIA, a story placed in Japan concerning a contract killing for a suicide-wary client), or quasi-historical (as In the hilarious WILLY HUGHES, a rehashing of the true writers of Shakespeare's plays in a conversation between Marlow and Bacon). And it may just be that part of the appeal of these highly varying stories is explained in two of Faith's poems:DEAR READERMy technical skill,Is on the fence,Or the sill,Watching the readers,Shunning the bleeders,Beyond reprieve or taking leave,What do you want,Should you wish a haunt,A haunting storyA dusty story, hoary and ripped,Society ridiculed and ripped,Laughter and after,A contemplative tear,A ponderous seer?What is that I hear,Should I be classically trained,Arraigned by readers forLack of talent, skill, or wit?Well, I simply could not give a, so thank you for your support,My lovely cohortes.1867-1967, DEAD AND ALIVEREDEmerging from oilRED men and women, chainslost, RED belief. Bonn to London, causationbecomes causecause and RED effect. Reichstag firesburn RED trapped RED and roubles gleam REDfrom Moscow to Mexico. RED waveseast, west,school houses painted RED, guns pointed.ideas RED, this body REDRA Faith may just be saying that the only manner in which writing can be judged is in the content of the finished word. In the case of this collection it is a smorgasbord - and one most reader will likely elect to follow. Grady Harp, May 14