Red Shuttleworth is a poet of the modern West, and his work explores the full possibilities of history and life in this complex region, ranging from musings on the careers of outlaws like Jesse James and John Wesley Hardin to wry comments on marriage, family, and the inescapable trappings of middle-class life.... more

Why I Lie tells the painful and hilarious story of a down home Arkansas boy's efforts to make good. Jack Smith, the protagonist of this story cycle, is an unwilling ne'er-do-well, from "... more