Joe Bishop’s debut poetry collection, Indie Rock, shows a writer at the start of a strong literary career.
Indie Rock candidly focuses on a queer poet/musician’s life in Newfoundland, and his personal struggles with addiction, OCD, and trauma. The collection is steeped in musicality and the geographies and cadences of Newfoundland. Joe Bishop tells an honest and contemporary coming-of-age story about an artist alienated from, but fascinated by, the world he inhabits.
“Joe Bishop’s poetry comes with its own musical accompaniment. You feel his rich, rhythmic poems as much as you read them. All of life is there, manifested in a musicality of language that’s as bewitching as it is transcendent. I defy you to pick up this stunning collection and resist turning each page until you’ve read all the way through.” —Joanna Lilley, author of Endlings
“Bishop’s lyrics chronicle sexual exploration amidst Newfoundland music and folklore. Indie Rock has the volume jacked, and these poems pulsate and blister long after the show’s over.” Aidan Chafe, author of Gospel Drunk