The Soft Paper Cut

Local poet Marcus Amaker has just published a new book of poems and graphic art called The Soft Paper Cut. He is planning a small book tour that includes the following stops:

Nov. 30, 8:12 p.m.

Sonia Manilla’s Grill and Lounge (N. Charleston)

Dec. 1, 1:01 p.m.

Blue Bicycle Books (downtown)

Dec. 3, 8:11 p.m.

East Bay Meeting House (downtown)

Dec. 6, 7:48 p.m.

Kudu Coffee (downtown)

City Paper staff writer Stratton Lawrence interviewed Amaker and wrote a story that will appear in next week’s paper (Wednesday, Dec. 5). Here’s a preview of what’s coming up.

The Love Poet

Multifaceted artist Marcus Amaker gets a comfortable paper cut

BY STRATTON LAWRENCE

Maybe you’ve known someone like him: the guy who always has a battered notebook ready in his back pocket, always fully engaged in conversation with a grin plastered across his face, always poised with a poignant phrase, ready to rhyme.

Marcus Amaker is perhaps Charleston’s most active “performance poet.” A regular at Kudu and East Bay Coffee Shops’ weekly open mics, he performed with Piccolo Spoleto last spring and has several spoken-word-over-music CDs to his name. By day, he’s a graphic designer for the Post and Courier.

Amaker’s freshly released book (his third), The Soft Paper Cut, is a complete amalgamation of his talents.

“I like how we don’t need poems to be poetic,” he writes in “making love with only words,” the book’s opener.

“Writing is like taking a picture,” he says. “I write about people I see, things I meet — it’s my way of recording what happened that night.”

Marcus Amaker reciting his poem, “Jazz.”

The Soft Paper Cut is available at www.amazon.com.

It’s also available at www.marcusAmaker.com for a price of your choosing.