To start out with the dream of becoming a writer or poet in 1989 was to start out in a land of obscurity and rejection. You stood very little chance of being read by anyone, much less read by many. Now, twenty-six years later, Jason E. Hodges has been published by sixteen different publications, and had over one hundred and ten thousand page views on his blog, The Dirt Worker’s Journal. His fourth book, Your Words Will Sharpen, is an in-depth look into Hodges’ world through the eyes of poetry and prose. You see the people he encounters on the streets of his hometown, Gainesville, Florida, and on walks along Matanzas Bay in the old sandy city of St. Augustine. He takes you through life in the factories, the carwashes, and the jobs that bring on old age with speed. All of his daily encounters, along with icons of pop culture, blend together beautifully in this book to reflect the thoughts and memories of this modern poet. Your Words Will Sharpen is a fearless gaze into one’s self teetering on the line between sanity and truth.
