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The first book by Ohio-based author Laura Marie Bailey, ‘Johnny Kid & The Art of Dreaming’ is a collection of poetry, short-prose, and fragments of conversation telling the story of Johnny Kid and The Green-Eyed Girl.
Though they have dreamed of one another all their lives, Johnny Kid and The Green-Eyed Girl have never met. But the dreams become an obsession, and they slip into the darkest moments of their lives as they search for one another, consumed by the idea that the other is really out there. But could their parallel paths become a cross-road? Could the dreams they’ve shared be more than dreams after all?
*Content Warning*
This book contains mentions of substance abuse, psychosis/delusions, self-harm, and suicidal ideation.
Originally self-published on Blurb in 2013, ‘Johnny Kid & The Art of Dreaming’
was rereleased on Amazon / Kindle Direct in early 2019
and currently has a 4.78 star rating on Goodreads,
and a 5-star ratings on Amazon!
“Immense, in the best possible way." -Kris, Facebook
“Beautiful story, even more incredible writing! The author is talented in leading us through a story of two lost souls bound to each other and questioning their sanity. It builds with each poem, making your heart ache and break. Her words are stunning, the story beautiful, and the ending is wonderfully climactic. I highly recommend this for anyone who is a fan of Francesca Lia Block, as this is reminiscent of Psyche In A Dress [in] the way it is formatted. However, this author has her own way of expressing things in a way that makes you remember how lovely language can be." -Elisabeth, Amazon
“This shit gave me goosebumps." -Garret, Facebook
“Arranged in three sections (her, him, us), this maddening scrapbook of mutating love poetry balances several contradictions. At first glance, you’re confronted with a dizzying array of shifting form, meter and font size; visually disorienting, yet obsessively intentional. Settling into the content, there’s an almost cyclic theme of future memory fused with nostalgic yearning as a means of executing the overall tone and imagery. As the feminine and masculine energies of the first two parts converge in the final part, the beautiful and violent phrases continue to blend, demonstrating an overall consistency in a book so seemingly inconsistent.
So, does it work? Is it good? Well, my take on poetry is that you can’t ethically rank the stuff. It either puts the basketball in the hoop for you or it doesn’t and this may change from day-to-day. Also, I feel it’s only responsible to note that a civilized society would keep me away from the discipline of poetry at all costs, so I’m far from a well-read expert on the subject. All that being said, what I know is language and imagery, so here’s my opinion…
This thing punches. Really goddamn hard.
I’m no book critic, but I tend to reserve my five-starring ways to books that dare to take a chance. I like deconstruction and I appreciate when an artist takes risks on something that might blow up. Nothing’s being held back here and very little is played safe. I like that. A lot." -Ryan, Goodreads
“Great read. Got the book and immediately started to read it. Was an amazing book and well written." -Joseph, Amazon
“Every word of it is perfect. Not one of them is wasted or misses the mark." -Chris, Facebook
“A unique reading experience. I really enjoyed the writing style in this book. With the Poetry you can really get into the minds of the characters. I loved how we got to see things from the perspectives of both Characters. The poems from each perspective paralleled each other beautifully. Everything tied together tells a wonderful story. I look forward to more." -Spencer, Amazon
“Loved this book!!! I loved the way it was written!!!! I couldn’t put it down!!!! Great job!!!!" -Julie, Goodreads
“Bailey takes you, in this book, on a journey through madness and beauty, love and obsession. You’re immediately drawn into this captivating story about a boy and a girl who, despite what they may think, cannot stop dreaming about one another and what life could be- if only they could find each other. The way it’s written, in fragments of prose and poetry, is so achingly beautiful it makes your heart ache. We are introduced into a new way of expression thanks to her compelling imagination. Poetry lovers will absolutely adore it, but others that don’t usually read poetry won’t be able to help falling in love with this style. I highly recommend to anyone looking for a unique and lovely read!" -Elisabeth, Goodreads
“It becomes a feeling! Stays with you! I loved this book! The poetry is so lyrical you feel it in you. It reminded me of Bukowski in all the good ways. I loved the set up of the two sides with in the relationship. The writing coming from both point of views was captivating." -k8michele, Amazon
“Poetry and prose, the way it is meant to be… This is really beautiful work. It sings." -Anthony, Facebook
“Powerful poetry and prose. A mixture of poetry and prose, Bailey paints a story with her words. Not limiting herself to abstracts, she also doesn’t make every piece concrete. The presence of a story is clear, building from the opening words to the final page, but it’s not like any other story I’ve read before. I’m not usually one for poetry, but I enjoyed this combination and look forward to reading more of Bailey’s work, whether she continues with this format or moves to another." -Victoria, Goodreads
Check out some sample pieces from ‘Johnny Kid & The Art of Dreaming’ below
