RollingTurtle » Writing

I currently have two books of poetry available to download for free!

(I also have some newer writing, not yet compiled into book form.)

The full books are .pdf files, so you'll need a recent version of Acrobat Reader to view them. It's probably already installed on your computer, but if not, you can download it for free from Adobe.

If you are in any way connected to the publishing industry and you like what you see here, I'd love to hear from you! You can e-mail me at mcohen[AT-SIGN]RollingTurtle.com.


Mi Año Rojo: This is the book of poems I penned (well, mostly typed) in 2001-2002 while I was in City Year. “Mi Año Rojo” means “My Red Year” in Spanish, and it refers to the color of the uniforms we wore in City Year. Thematically, the book addresses the paradox of feeling lonely while living among friends, and the frustrations of pusuing social justice in a cockeyed organization. Fun fact: My poem Hope from this book was published in the South Boston Literary Gazette in Spring 2003.
Excerpt | Book (pdf)
How to Stop Running: This book was written in 2002-2003, while I was working at the West End House. It deals primarily with my feelings about urban life, political disfranchisement, ambition, and the joys and terrors of working with children. Oh, and love. Lots of love.
Excerpt | Book (pdf)

Seeing Other People

If you're interested in finding out about the kinds of poets that I admire, here's a list. They all happen to be local (or formerly local) folks whom I'm acquainted with personally, since listing every single poet I like would be a fairly daunting task, and I'm sure you can find the famous (dead) poets on your own.