"This book-length poem, told through the mask of a murderer, demands to be read in one sitting. Indeed, the thing held me spellbound with its quiet mania, its seductive otherworldliness, from start to finish, so much so that I wondered, who would dare refuse the ride, the chance to be driven by a single unrelenting sentence to a lyricism bordering on derangement from which there is no return? Not only is this Joseph Fasano's finest book to date, it's also the best long contemporary poem that I've read since I can't remember when."—Timothy Liu
"What does it mean to enter into and imagine the darkest corners of the human psyche? In Vincent, Joseph Fasano not only puts on the mask of depravity, he imagines the speech acts and interior monologues of a killer, as though that killer had the associative diligence and skill of a poet. The result is an unnerving book that challenges the reader's assumptions about the role of beauty in poetry. Vincent is a chilling, memorable accomplishment." — Mark Wunderlich
Joseph Fasano is a writer and educator. He studied mathematics and astrophysics at Harvard University before changing his course of study and earning a degree in philosophy, with a focus on philosophy of language after Wittgenstein. He did his graduate study in poetry at Columbia University, working with Mark Strand, Lucie Brock-Broido, Richard Howard, and others. Beyond his Professorships, Fasano is passionate about developing inclusive learning communities outside the walls of academic institutions. As an educator, his mission is to help each student synthesize diverse fields of study to develop a unique and informed voice, a depth of attention, and a capacity to break free of reductive mindsets. His "Poetry Prompts," originally designed to help children create, have spread around the world, helping millions of people of all ages find their voices through the craft and magic of poetry.
Fasano is the author of two novels: The Swallows of Lunetto (Maudlin House, 2022) and The Dark Heart of Every Wild Thing (Platypus Press, 2020), which was named one of the "20 Best Small Press Books of 2020." His books of poetry are The Last Song of the World (forthcoming from BOA Editions, 2024); The Crossing (Cider Press Review, 2018), praised by Ilya Kaminsky for its 'lush drive to live, even in the darkest moments'; Vincent (Cider Press Review, 2015), which Rain Taxi Review hailed as a 'major literary achievement'; Inheritance (Cider Press Review, 2014), a James Laughlin Award nominee; Fugue for Other Hands (2013) , which won the Cider Press Review Book Award and was nominated for the Poets' Prize, 'awarded annually for the best book of verse published by a living American poet two years prior to the award.'
A winner of the RATTLE Poetry Prize, he serves on the Editorial Board of Alice James Books, and he is the Founder of the Poem for You Series. His writing has appeared in The Times Literary Supplement, The Yale Review, The Southern Review, The Missouri Review, Boston Review, American Poets, Measure, Tin House, American Poetry Journal, The Adroit Journal, American Literary Review, Verse Daily, the PEN Poetry Series, the Academy of American Poets' poem-a-day program, and other publications.
"Robert Browning meets Randall Jarrell meets Ai in Joseph Fasano's explosive narrative of a man's psychosis. It is not only excellently crafted, but there is not a moment to lose interest in its urgency as it barrels on to its disastrous end. Vincent is a must-read." - Noelle Kocot
