American Independence in Verse, on paper

American Independence in Verse will be published on November 4th: I’m excited to share this happy news. The book tells the epic story of American Independence, from the Stamp Tax riots to the Declaration, in the voices of its opponents and its champions: among them, Samuel Adams, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington.

I started publishing these poems here on Mostly Aesthetics, but the project outgrew this venue. So there is plenty in the book that’s new, even if you’ve been reading from the start. You’ll find Edmund Burke’s defense of the Colonies (“no one will be argued into slavery”); Samuel Johnson’s defense of British military action (“it is my wish that we subdue through use of dominating force”); Thomas Jefferson’s advice to Congress; Common Sense by Thomas Paine.

If you have been reading from the start, I thank you for your support. Current paid subscribers may receive a free advanced copy of the book. (Send me your name, the email address you subscribe with, and your postal address. Limited to North American addresses, I’m afraid.) Conversely, anyone who pre-orders the book will be entitled to a one-year paid subscription to Mostly Aesthetics. (Pre-order the book here.)

I do believe that the American Revolution is America’s Iliad and Odyssey: this clash of soldiers and ideals, these heroes and villains, these uncertainties and reverses and triumphs, make up the story we look back to, to understand who we are. We do this—we need to do this—especially in times of crisis; especially in times like these. If the story has been told before, it’s usually been told by historians, rarely by poets; and it’s never been told like this.