About the Author

Adrian S. Potter humbly lives in Minnesota on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of the Dakota people. When he’s not busy silently judging your beer selection and record collection, he’s talking too much or writing poetry and prose. His work has appeared in over 300 literary journals and magazines Potter is the author of three collections of poetry/prose/hybrid work, including the recent And the Monster Swallows You Whole and Field Guide to the Human Condition. Visit him online at http://adrianspotter.com

Reviews

“Adrian S. Potter’s The Blues Handbook is a phenomenal collection full of stunning imagery and great wisdom that can only come from a life of intense observation and reflection. The work exudes strength and mastery of Potter's role as poet, as witness. He is keenly aware of the fight as a person of color and as a poet, for ‘society is always trying to kill my kind.’ Potter speaks of weapons and battles, our constant fight between heaven and hell. He truly understands the power of the blues ‘because once you become acquainted with them, you'll never shake loose from their grasp.’ This is a poet writing at the highest level.”

—HEATHER BUCHANAN, Publisher of Aquarius Press/Willow Books

“Adrian S. Potter’s The Blues Handbook is exactly as stated. A gorgeous handbook that leaves the reader wrought with the time-honored question, ‘How will I survive this?’Adrian writes from a soul filled with self-doubt as he navigates the waters of his own mind. To read this manuscript is to want to reach a hand out and say, ‘I know this pain.’ These pages are a comforting weighted blanket for those weary of bones, those who don't know when the sun will shine again, and for those who want nothing more than to be seen for who they are at their core. And not just how much they managed to carry on bruised shoulders too small and tired for the world to rest upon. The book says 'I don't have to carry it all and I shouldn't have been expected to' in such a perfect way that only Adrian could accomplish.”

—FLORENCE SUSANNE-REPPERT, Editor-in-Chief of Poetry as Promised

“Potter genuinely understands the stripped, true, aching reality of being a human today. Like the blues he writes of, Potter’s poetry is soulful, melancholic, and emotional. From his commentaries on social justice to his musical verses on faith and grief, The Blues Handbook takes the deepest parts of you and leaves them bare on the page.”

—KYLIE HOY, Oyster River Pages

“The Blues Handbook by Adrian S. Potter is a deeply reflective and relevant poetic exploration of the human condition. Potter uses gripping and powerful language to paint a picture of a fractured society where simply existing as a person of color becomes an act of resistance. The collection references ‘the blues’ not only as a nod to the musical and cultural tradition but also as a metaphor for racial trauma and inherited depression. Through a sequence of letters to the blues, Potter examines the emotional weight of Black existence.”

—BRITAIN POWERS, Maverick Reviews

Philly Poetry Chapbook Review - New Poetry Titles (10/21/25)