Mixed. Not quite a mixed bag if you will but mixed none the less. That’s the best way to describe the poetry of one Mike McGee. To try and paint him into a corner of definition isn’t fair to either he or his work which is incredible. To be completely biased about it, the work of Mike McGee will most certainly change your life (in a good way).

I met Mike some time ago at a spoken word event in San Jose California, his attitude towards life and the people around him are infectious. He told me recently that his hope is to encapsulate his everyday self onto the stage and into his audience, in an attempt to be as real as possible with the people he performs for. From the perspective of standing in the audience when he performs his poetry and random theatrics I would say that his mission is accomplished night in and night out.

After performing on the road for years to audiences all over the world Mike has finally put his work down in a collection of poems and other tidbits that help you. I know that last statement felt a little unfinished but hear me out. Mike McGee helps you. He helps you laugh, and he helps you cry. More importantly he helps you feel.

Before I met Mike McGee I had no real interest in poetry or spoken word despite being a collegiate public speaker, Mike opened a whole world for me and helped me to feel what the poets were trying to get me to feel. Poetry as an art form is a powerful medium that is thought evoking and always current. Mike McGee’s words have a timeless, relatable quality that appeals to just about anyone who can read, and half of those that don’t.

The book itself is a gem of humor and intimate information about McGee himself. While I prefer listening to him live, to read his words takes me back to his rip roaring live performances of classics like Puddin’ and my personal favorite Open Letter to Neil Armstrong.

Mike McGee has been featured throughout the world and on HBO’s Def Poetry Jam and it seems like he has come full circle with his first literary offering. Do yourself a favor and check out WriteBloody.com in order to get a copy of this great book for yourself or the poetry lover you know, they will never be the same.