Spare yet evocative, the poems in Mister Martini pair explorations 
of a father-son relationship with haiku-like martini recipes. The martini 
becomes a daring metaphor for this relationship as it moves from the 
son's childhood to the father's death. Each poem is a strong drink in 
its own right, and together they form a potent narrative of alienation 
and love between a father and son struggling to communicate.

From the book:

Inventor

My father was an inventor of martinis.
He acquired archaic languages,
collected Renaissance textiles.
But mostly he made martinis.

He worked at night in a closed room.

Martini chilled among purple crocuses,
served with two drops of spring snow
gathered from the petals.


"This is a truly original book. There's nothing extra: sharp and clear 
and astonishing. Viva!"—Naomi Shihab Nye, judge and author of 
19 Varieties of Gazelle

_________________________________________________________

RICHARD CARR grew up in Blue Earth, Minnesota, and lives in 
Minneapolis. His careers have alternated between the computer 
industry and academia, and for several years he managed 
Fitzpatrick's Tavern in Toledo, Ohio. His poems have been published 
in Painted Bride Quarterly, Poetry East, The Comstock Review, 
and The North Stone Review.


Number Fifteen: Vassar Miller Prize in Poetry