After Hours Poetry

After Hours Poetry is a form of unbridled confessional poetry; the premise of which is the exploration of the human condition, the interactions of the genders and the celebration of the “Everyman.” After Hours Poetry is considered an out growth or sub-genre of “Meat Poetry”. Writers who work in the genre tend to focus on the interaction of the sexes, the quiet hours of the morning, the sensual behavior of the amorous and the excitement of lust, libations and reverie. After Hours Poetry’s subject matter is found in the joys, struggles and challenges of living in the modern world. Though the After Hour poet appreciates the seriousness of the today’s world and those who write about it, most After Hour poets tend to view life as a comedy of errors that is to be enjoyed, explored and lived to the fullest. After Hours poets work outside the confines of political correctness; they fine no secret sacred, no subject out of bounds and no behavior unexpected. After Hours poets celebrate life in all its forms and view their poetry as an avenue to share their celebration.

In general, After Hours Poetry is written in a short, tight, concise style; from which the writer tells the story of an event, action, behavior, thought, emotion, or feeling..

Developement

After Hours Poetry was first branded in the public arena in 2003 by R.L. Crow Publications when reviewing and promoting the book Roxy. Their comments were, "Roxy is After Hours Poetry; when the lights go down and the memory of last call has faded into the exhaled smoke of a bummed cigarette - Roxy comes to life. The poems are rooted in the street, caress (no Slam!) the frailties of the human relationship, lean toward the erotic and show that honest poetry, feelings and emotions, cannot be confined by political correctness." Some of the early purveyors of After Hours Poetry where Bill Gainer, Todd Cirillo, Will Staple, Julie Valin, Chris Olander, Matt Amott and others. Through its use and acceptance by a new generation of young writers, After Hours Poetry is often referred to as the "Modern Movement of After Hours Poetry."

Influences

The contributing influences to After Hours Poetry are credited as: Richard Brautigan, for his openness of language and off-centered style of telling; Ann Menebroker, for the raw sensuality and the compactness of her confessional work; Charles Bukowski, for his boldness of style, directness of subject and understanding of story; Bill Gainer for his clarity of language, focus of subject and use of an economy of words; and Michael McClure for his challenge of censorship and his use of brevity and subject, as exampled in his early work.

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