“Rarely have I encountered a young writer with a voice so true, so clear, and whose work, while transcending genre, explores the dark, gritty underside of the human heart with such an accomplished sense of authority and authenticity. All of us here in South Florida have admired the talent of Joe Clifford for years, and with the right editor and a nurturing publisher, booksellers everywhere will be proud to handsell anything he has to offer.”

As an artist, I explore the dark places, the uncomfortable places, the dingy bricks and concrete cracks of a cold uncaring city. I write about the criminals and dope fiends, the dealers and the dreamers, the cops with their heels on the throat, closing in on the kill. I know this scene well, because I once moved among them.

As a homeless junkie for ten years, I stole with them, slept with them. I fought along side them. My work shows this world intimately, and ultimately it is not a loss to lament; rather, it is a celebration. Because for as ugly as it gets out there at times, something beautiful can still shine through the darkness of that life. You just have to know where to look, and you only need to stay on your feet long enough to find it.

I made it out. Many did not. So I go back now and extract what I can, what was preserved, and I champion it. I do it for me. I do it for them. And I do it for you. Enjoy.