New from Anxiety Press: Sweat and Blood Between the Cracks

Anxiety Press is pleased to announce the release of: Sweat and Blood Between the Cracks by Joe Haward 

Blurb

In this “pithy and poignant” collection, the prolific Joe Haward gives us a characteristically bold and nuanced collection of stories and poems which serve as a testament to a stunning career and to his place at the forefront of literary achievement in our time.

Reviews

“Chiaroscuro: the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, affecting the whole composition in the visual art forms such as painting or photography, is how one could describe the style of writing the Rev. Joe Haward applies to his gorgeously raw work. I was introduced to Rev. Joe through EIC Tiffany Storrs' fledgling press, Roi Faineant. We published the poems “One Won't Hurt” and “Song” in November 2021. From the moment you read Rev. Joe's work, you are challenged. Challenged to look at the pain, lived or perceived with the light shining directly in your eyes, never missing its mark. And then there's the hope in his words, in spite of it all. That light in your eyes, well it leads you to your own conclusions; his work never panders, it lets you decide for yourself.  Heresy, for example, is an unflinching admonishment of organized Christianity from the viewpoint of someone who, with all his heart, believes in Love. His newest work, Sweat and Blood Between the Cracks proves to be another exercise in contrast; exploring the sun and shadow of familial bonds and despair, of legacy, of inherited trauma, and of course of unconditional love. I don't think I could do anything but scratch the surface describing the impact his writing has, with my own limited vocabulary. Check it out for yourself. His words will make you uncomfortable, his words will make you think. Rev. Joe will show you the light through the darkness.” — Kellie Scott-Reed, AEIC, Roi Faineant Press

“Pithy and poignant.” — Justine Jones, editor 

“Sweat and Blood Between the Cracks is a fucking bloodbath; raw, powerful and deeply, profoundly real. Joe picks at scabs and re-opens scars to lay bare his guts to us.” — Leia John, author of Song of the Sister  

“In Joe Haward’s Sweat And Blood Between The Cracks you’ll find plenty of origin words - faith, love, hope. And not just those words, never easy or innocuous, but the fraught tensions created in their absence. This is a book that alerts us to the experience and emergence that are seeded in our beginnings, our strivings, and our endings. It is all kinds of resolutionary, and whetstones a wake-up in its sharp revelations.” — E. E. Rhodes, Prose Editor, Twin Pies Literary and award winning author and poet.

"Joe Haward delivers again with Sweat and Blood Between the Cracks. A candidly sincere collection and deeper understanding of the man behind Heresy. This time we are ensnared by Haward's expertly crafted prose into a different institution of life, family and society's flaws. Joe's own battles are laid bare through relatable poems and haunting stories. Sweat and Blood gifts the reader a broader insight into one of the greatest creative writers of our times." — James Jenkins, author of Parochial Pigs

About the Author 

Joe Haward is the author of two nonfiction books that explore the intersection between humanity, faith, film, and culture. As a horror writer, poet, freelance journalist, and book reviewer, his work has appeared, and is upcoming across multiple sites, in various anthologies and publications, including Byline Times, Cinnabar Moth Publishing, Ghost Orchid Press, Horror Oasis, Cosmic Horror Monthly, and Outcast Press.