Roadside Press is pleased to announce the forthcoming publication of William Taylor Jr.’s compelling new poetry collection, The People Are Like Wolves to Me, scheduled for release in November 2025. This collection offers readers a powerful and honest exploration of the human experience in contemporary life, grappling with themes of fear, profound loneliness, existential challenges, and the persistent search for moments of beauty and meaning amidst difficult circumstances.
Drawing from vivid observations of city streets and quiet moments of reflection, particularly in San Francisco and the Tenderloin, Taylor Jr.’s poems reflect on the complexities of the 21st century. They depict a world where a pervasive sense of fear and decay is felt, where people as “like wolves… always hungry, the way they circle about with shining eyes in search of weakness”, adrift in a world that “no longer knows what to do with itself”.
Despite the moments of bleakness and difficulty, the collection finds and cherishes instances of light and resilience. It notes the absurd comfort found in Christmas trees left up long after the holiday, the potential for beauty even in unexpected places, or the simple presence of another person that can make suffering “worth suffering through”. These scattered glimpses of positivity are seen as small victories, found even in dark moments. The poems suggest ways to cope, from simple acts to finding temporary havens in places like bars or alleys. The collection is a plea for these moments of beauty, terror, and suffering to be acknowledged.
Through stark, human observations, Taylor Jr. crafts a distinct voice that feels honest and raw. The poems reflect a state of being caught between life and death, with “tiny mumblings against the void”. The People Are Like Wolves to Me serves as an unflinching record of navigating the world, petitioning for the beauty, terror, and suffering experienced to be noted.
About the Author:
William Taylor Jr. lives and writes in San Francisco. He is the author of numerous books of poetry, and a volume of fiction. His work has been published widely in journals across the globe, including Rattle, The New York Quarterly, and The Chiron Review. He was a recipient of the 2013 Kathy Acker Award, and edited Cocky Moon: Selected Poems of Jack Micheline (Zeitgeist Press, 2014). A Room Above a Convenience Store, (Roadside Press, 2023) is his most recent published collection.
About the Publisher:
Roadside Press is a leading publisher dedicated to preserving and celebrating the legacy of the literary underground. With a diverse catalog spanning poetry, fiction, and non-fiction, Roadside Press is committed to honoring the voices that shape our cultural landscape. Founded on 2/22/22 by Michele McDannold, Roadside Press has since published 40 titles and counting by some of the best the small press has to offer.
