Review by John Dorsey

The World’s Last Rodeo

By A.D. Winans

Publisher: Bottle of Smoke Press

Where can one place the work of A.D. Winans? He has

not been lumped into the current outlaw generation of

American literature, nor does he really completely fit

the label of “beat”.

There’s no question that Winans, who has been a

staple of the small press poetry scene, since

returning from a military stint in Panama in the late

1950’s is a wordslinger’s wordslinger.

His latest book, “The World’s Last Rodeo” just

further cements his reputation as a troubadour of the

free spirit. Winans has spent a lifetime championing

this spirit, whether as a publisher with his Second

Coming Press from 1972-1989, or as a friend and

contemporary of such underground legends such as Bob

Kaufman, Jack Micheline, and Charles Bukowski.

Rodeo offers glances into the every day, examining

the state of poetry, publishing, global politics,

human nature, and homelessness.

The work included here has a subtle way a pulling the

rug out from under Winans readers; bringing them back

to a reality, in a way that readers don’t often

associate with modern poetry.

Reading Winans work is like witnessing the affects of

weather on a lonely piece of prairie, it takes a long

time to grasp his sentiment in its entirety, to

realize—hey this guy just punched me in the gut.

REALITY

The night is alive

With Street sounds

Strange love songs serenade

My head

Outside the window

Invisible vampires wait

For the first sign of dawn

When dreams turn to ham

And eggs

-From “The World’s Last Rodeo” pg. 19

Winans has only more recently gained the recognition

that his work deserves, which will hopefully only

continue to build as time goes on. As Lord Alfred

Tennyson said, “knowledge comes but wisdom lingers”,

between the pages of “The World’s Last Rodeo” A.D.

Winans offers his readers a little bit of both.

For further information visit www.bospress.net