Freedom of Association: A Novel

Set in the suburbs of present-day New Jersey and also New York City, Freedom of Association traces the demise of three talented poets and their determination to continue their work despite overwhelming odds. Each of their lives converge when one of the poets, a middle-aged bard of traditional verse, is sent into the bowels of the turbulent inner city where he is ordered by his publishers to mentor a young, radical African-American slam poet and transform his poetry into verse that is more acceptable to mostly white, affluent audiences.

To do this, he enlists the help of his beautiful ex-wife who reluctantly agrees to let the slam poet audit her poetry workshop at the local university. Their lives are forever changed when the young African-American slam poet falls for his mentor’s ex-wife. And when the publishers decide to pull the plug on the slam poet’s career, the three of them must confront the hard realities of living in the turbulent urban ghetto while facing uncertain futures as poets.

Part comedy and part interracial romance, Freedom of Association has direct appeal to those who love poetry and the poets who write it, those who appreciate high quality literary fiction, and those who crave remarkable storytelling about equally fascinating characters.