About Mike Maggio
Mike Maggio has published fiction, poetry and translations in journals and anthologies in the United States and abroad. His work has appeared in such places as Phoebe, Apalachee Quarterly, Potomac Review, Pleaides, Black Bear Review, The Arabesques Review, Pig Iron and many others.
He is the author of
Your Secret Is Safe With Me, a audio collection of poems (Black Bear Publications),
Oranges From Palestine (and other poems) (Mardi Gras Press, and a collection of short fiction,
Sifting Through the Madness (Xlibris).
His newest book,
deMockracy (Plain View Press), is a hard-hitting, poetic crtique of the Bush administration and its cavelier and unjustified attack on Iraq and on the democractic institiutions here at home in America.
Critical Acclaim for Sifting Through the Madness
Here's what the critics have said about Sifting Through the Madness
"A grippingly written, sometimes frightening, but always deeply involving anthology." - Midwest Book Review
"The stories range widely between realism and surrealism, and will delight the reader who thrives on linguistic dexterity." - Alan Caruba, Bookviews
"Highly imaginative, sometimes unsettlingly surreal. Strong medicine." - Bill Hart, author of "Never Fade Away."
Here's what the critics are saying about deMOCKracy
"The author insists on peacemaking instead of war mongering and mocks the rhetorical nonsense our leaders use to justify carnage as he uses space and even spelling as a mirror of intent exploring the relationship between how we use words to how we act in the world.The world needs this book!" --Susan Bright, author, Breathing Under Water
"Mike Maggio’s poems unpack the language of the propagandists, demonstrating how the corporate-government-advertising mafia tries to control language and therefore thought itself. The poems play with us, too. They scramble algebra, advertising jingles, news casts, job notices, the Bible, quiz shows – the whole crazy culture – and give us back our hearts, our true selves. Exuberant, angry, full of compassion – a poetry for our beautiful, broken world." --Sarah Browning, Coordinator, DC Poets Against the War
The poems of Mike Maggio will hit you in the head like a rock. Considering the state of the world this might be a good thing. Maggio is a political writer. On every page of deMOCKracy he writes with the urgency that reminds us that our house is burning. I suggest one begin with the poem "Raw Footage" and observe how this gem is the key that turns the lock. Oh, and Maggio's "Paper Cranes" is nothing short of poetry sculpture made with stanzas. There is tenderness and beauty captured in words that confess to this poet's love for human life.-- - E. Ethelbert Miller, Board Chair, Institute for Policy Studies
"Bless Mike Maggio for saying "Enough is enough." I've met a lot of people who want an end to the Bush junta but few who know HOW to achieve it aside from violent revolution. Maggio salvages things with a sly combo of comedy and scathing satire. His Mockumentary is required reading for those of us who ask-'Is it Vietnam yet?'" --Richard Peabody, editor, Gargoyle Magazine
Phoebe, A Journal of Literature and Art, says: "Maggio turns on what he sees as his own open-air evangelist—the government, war, racism, classism, etc.—and uses the evangelist’s own phraseology ... to create an unflinching political satire." (Click here to read the entire review).
LanguageandCulture.Net calls deMOCKracy: "edgy, passionate, clever and well worth the discomfort of confronting your own complicity with American life." (Click here to read the entire review).
Click here to to read an interview in the Washington CityPaper.
Midwest Book Review
"Poetry is not all about beautiful landscapes and romance – it can be a tool of political expression as well. "Demockracy" is an anthology of politically motivated poetry from experienced and prolific poet Mike Maggio. His poetry carries out his views on the world and his ideas for a brighter future with brilliant wording. "Demockracy" is highly recommended for community library poetry collections and for poetry lovers seeking poetry with a stronger message. "Shoptalk": The time has come to talk./ There's a riot from 9 to 5/ the buildings are looting the street.// Can't you think of something else?/ the birds are dying to sing./ Take the subway/ see for yourself/ the music is deafening/ the sky is a distant place."
Click here to read an article on George Mason University's College of Humanities and Social Sciences web site.