Ascend Ascend was written over the course of twenty days, coming in and out of trance states brought on by intermittent fasting and somatic rituals while secluded in the tower of a 100-year-old church. It is rooted in the jewish mystical tradition of merkabah literature, chronicling an ascent up the kabbalistic sefirot to witness the "chariot of god." While traditional merkabah prose trends dry-focused on preparations for the journey while demurring to describe the experience itself-Ascend Ascend uses poetry to touch the ineffable. Equal parts Walt Whitman and Maggot Brain, this long poem documents the ecstatic destruction of the self.

*First confirmed blurbs include Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin and Peter Maravalis from City Lights Books. More to come. * Ascend Ascend is poet Janaka Stucky's second book for Third Man Books. His first book THE TRUTH IS WE ARE PERFECT sold over 2000 copies and continues to sell. * First run of Ascend Ascend will be 5000 *Janaka Stucky is also owner/editor/founder of the respect, small poetry press Black Ocean. * He is the editor of the journal Handsome. * In 2010 he was voted "Boston's Best Poet" in the Boston Phoenix. *Ascend Ascend is a book length, ecstatic poem heavily steeped in occult and jewish mysticism. * An excellent live performer, Janaka will be touring the US, UK, and Europe. * Written over the course of twenty days, coming in and out of trance states brought on by intermittent fasting and somatic rituals while secluded in the tower of a 100-year-old church, Ascend Ascend is equal parts Walt Whitman and Maggot Brain, documenting the ecstatic destruction of the self. *The Introduction will be written by writer, teacher, respected occultist Pam Grossman whose work has been featured in Artforum, The New York Times, The New Yorker, and Art in America. She is the curator of Phantasmaphile and also host of the Witch Wave podcast * The cover art will be illustrated by Aaron Horkey who has done work for bands such as Isis and The Melvins. He is the owner/curator of thevacvvm.com. His Instagram has over 194k followers.

About the Author

Janaka Stucky is a mystic poet, performer, and founding editor of the award-winning press, Black Ocean. In 2015 Jack White's Third Man Records launched a new publishing imprint, Third Man Books, and chose Janaka's full-length poetry collection, "The Truth Is We Are Perfect," as their inaugural title. Other books include "Your Name Is The Only Freedom," and "The World Will Deny It For You." He has performed in over 60 cities around the world and his poems have appeared in such journals as Denver Quarterly, Fence and North American Review, and his articles have been published by The Huffington Post and The Poetry Foundation. He is also a two-time National Haiku Champion. More at janakastucky.com.

Pam Grossman is the host of The Witch Wave podcast and author of Waking the Witch: Reflections on Women, Magic, and Power.

Book Information
ISBN 9780997457834
Author Janaka Stucky
Format Paperback
Page Count 88
Imprint Third Man Books
Publisher Third Man Books
Weight(grams) 226g