"Summed up by one of the poems in this collection (Ex-Girlfriend), Flanagan has a crisp and abrupt style that reflects his brutally honest and raw emotion. A departure from religion and organized society, and a sometimes violent embracing of self, characterize the works found within. A read not for the timid of eyes or heart; for someone who recognizes life as a play, and is not afraid of jumping off the stage."
-Pattie Flint, founder and editor of Bitterzoet Magazine and Press
“Daniel Flanagan writes poems that are greater than the sum of their parts. When a poem takes far longer to digest than it does to read, you know you've created something worthwhile.”
-Tim Sevenhuysen, Editor, 50-Word Stories
“Daniel Flanagan's Stale Angst is a raw and riveting journey of self-awareness penned by a writer who is compelled to write.”
- N.K. Wagner, executive editor, Page & Spine
"What I love the most about Daniel Flanagan's writing is that he silently dares the reader to take a dark, and unpredictable trip into the unbalanced psyche. His writing really speaks to that impulsive, hidden and desperate part of the mind we've all visited and have been tempted by."
“The style of writing is very close to heart. It reminds us constantly that we are all part of the cycle of birth, death, old age and disease. Yet, few of us take the effort to realize how vulnerable we are all, at all times. I commend Daniel in bringing us one step closer to reality with his insightful poetry.”
– Nayanna Chakrbarty, The Original-Writer
http://www.original-writer.com/
“Aptly titled, Stale Angst is a collection that contains work that dangles off a ledge of which it remains consistently unafraid. Muse as girl, as whore, as bird, as torture, these poems ask questions and answer them in the same disturbing breath, with the same unflinching tone. The imagery here is painfully human, drunk, trapped. The speaker celebrates his own state of being while searching desperately for the flood of escape. Flanagan tortures us and comforts us, leaving us wanting nothing but more pain.”
-April Salzano, Co-Editor, Kind of a Hurricane Press
http://www.kindofahurricanepress.com/
“Niece is a compelling, heart-breaking poem about the unfortunate circumstances that many children are born into, which shouldn’t be the case. Every child deserves a childhood worth remembering where they are loved and treated with kindness and dignity. I felt compelled to publish this truth in Poppy Road Review. Daniel Flanagan’s poetry is raw yet brutally honest, exposing the dark side of life without fear.”
- Sandy Benitez, Founding Editor of Poppy Road Review
http://poppyroadreview.blogspot.com/
"In a time where poetry belongs to stuffy elitists, Dan's work is a kick to the nuts. And that, my friends, is sure to wake you up."
- Jessica Gleason, Author, and founding editor of Aberration Labyrinth
http://aberrationlabyrinth.blogspot.com/
"Hey Daniel; I just wanted to mention that we did really like your line breaks. You have a very interesting cadence. Not quite Dickinson, but not quite anything else. A style of your own. It's awesome, and works with your poetry. Good job." (In reference to an unpublished poetry chapbook).
- Pattie Flint (Co-Editor)
"Overall your writing is raw, does not hold anything back, and takes an unflinching view of life from a personal perspective, what the narrator is going through. The words are released into the space, but lead directly back to the vulnerable individual. To a degree, it reminds me of Arthur Rimbaud.”
"I thoroughly enjoyed reading Stale Angst; you are brilliant! Thank you for being brave enough to say out loud what the rest of us can't."
