Books of poetry and observation by G. White, published independently through Ink & Smoke Press.
Books purchased directly from Ink & Smoke Press include a signed copy from G. White.
Choose an individual book or the complete three book collection. To place an order, click below and email us with what you would like.
Order by email Amazon remains available as another way to order.
Companion blends are available only through direct Ink & Smoke Press orders.
Songs and Stories of a Life Still Being Lived
A Collection of Poetry
The first book moves through grief, remembrance, friendship, family, love and the ordinary things that keep the dead with us.
Dispatches from this side of life
A Collection of Poetry
A clear eyed look at the world, its contradictions, rituals, vanishing standards and the trouble that comes from paying attention.
Realizations and Reckonings
Accounts of a slow education from an ordinary man.
The third collection turns inward, considering duty, character, love, humility, persistence and the quiet dignity found in ordinary lives.
Ink & Smoke Press was born from a simple realization: sometimes the people deciding what deserves to be published are not the people who understand what deserves to be read.
The tragic deaths of two of G. White’s best friends in less than two years changed the man. He began to write. At first, there was no publishing plan. Writing was survival, a personal need fulfilled. He simply gathered the pieces together, intending to preserve them for himself in a typed and printed binder.
Then he looked at them again. He thought he might really have something.
A few friends read the work and were astounded. Their response gave him the confidence to share it with more people, and the positive response continued.
He eventually submitted some of his most intimate pieces to several literary contests. The responses, when they came at all, were largely impersonal. Standard rejection letters. No sense that anyone had really read the work, let alone understood it.
Rather than continue asking permission, he decided to publish the work himself.
The first book became more than a book. Ink & Smoke Press was created.
Before The Old Black Cat and Other Ghosts was even finished, the second was already taking shape. Then came the third. Now there is a fourth.
Sometimes you simply have to open your own door.
No permission required.
“This poetry is for everybody. But I especially want men to know they are welcome here.”
G. came to writing late, through grief, and found in it a way to keep company with memory.
He writes about love, loss, loneliness, regret, aging, mortality, memory, mistakes, and the things we carry without always knowing how to talk about them.
Poetry has always been a way for human beings to wrestle with life, tell their stories, preserve their history, and express things that are sometimes difficult to say out loud.
If a reader finds words for something they have been carrying, or simply finds comfort in knowing they are not alone, then the poetry has done what it was meant to do.
From The Old Black Cat and Other Ghosts
Review by Thomas Renner
The subject matter is loss. And yet there is no sorrow.
In Gary White’s first book, each poem gives an infinite brightness to each of the deepest matters of the soul: Love, grief, loneliness. Mortality, solitude, emptiness. Cherishing, sharing, keeping. Holding, giving, remembering. Guilt. Purpose. Courage.
The future.
There’s no sign of sorrow. No sign of pity. Woe is nowhere in these pages.
Somehow, every poem in this book is about appreciation. A deep, caring appreciation for what was in the holes left behind by loved ones; the lives they led. You’ll learn more about life than loss in these pages.
The Old Black Cat and Other Ghosts is a book that grabs the reader with its first piece, The Bow Light. An unusual topic for poetry, simple words become powerful images never to be forgotten. The poems are not puzzles. White’s style is revealed, and you’re hooked. Prizing the tradition of poets like Robert Frost, simple words in White’s poems are for savoring and the entire collection is a feast.
I am unable to choose a favorite poem in this collection. Each one will live in my mind for a long time before that can happen. But The Brave Poet on page 113 is the one that reveals the essence of all the others, and the heart of this poet.
Gary White is a great contemporary American Poet. This book is a work of art.
And the real subject matter is love.
Thomas F. Renner, author of Magnificent Marginal Men“This book is not simply a collection of poems, it is a collection of relatable emotions the author captures from his own experiences with loss and healing. Through his words and stories, anyone who has lost a loved one will feel the pain, and often times confusion and/or anger with loss, making the stories feel as if they are your own. This is not a one and done read, you will find yourself returning to specific stories that help with your own healing journey(s).”
Theodore L. Trombley Jr., Amazon reader“This is a book of poetry that is thought provoking and touching a part of me that has been hidden away for a while. Slowly, one page at a time, the pages are being turned.”
Martha Williams, Amazon reader“A deep slow-leaning stare into the abyss of the human condition, full of loss and life, with a subtle pivot toward the HOPE that still exists within us all. I could feel the raw emotions bleeding through the printed ink. This is a great piece of work that should sit on your shelf, ready for those quiet, dark, stormy nights.”
Matthew James Wilyonson, Amazon reader“Beautiful work of art. Thought inspiring that is completely relatable. Each poem felt thoughtful, authentic, and emotional. I found myself returning to several poems multiple times and discovering new layers with each reading.”
Amazon reader“This is a remarkable look into the human condition. It's about relationships and the people that have touched us. The ones we have loved and lost. Don't be intimidated by the poetry label. These poems are beautifully crafted. You will find yourself in these pages.”
Kim E., Amazon reader
G. came to writing late, through grief, and found in it a way to keep company with memory.
What began as a private collection of pages eventually became the Witness collection and, in time, Ink & Smoke Press itself.
The companion blends began as a project developed alongside the books. Each blend was created specifically with its corresponding work in mind, as another way of experiencing the character and atmosphere of the writing.
The blends are made in small quantities from time to time and shared with friends in a variety of informal settings, including pipe club meetings. When the opportunity arises to sit down and smoke one together, it is always nice to enjoy the blend with somebody and see what conversations ensue. If you happen to see me out and about, I might just have one with me that I can share with you.
Unfortunately, licensing, bonding, and taxation requirements make offering tobacco “for sale” impractical for such a small endeavor as a companion blend created for a particular book. With each batch consisting of less than 2 lb., these companion blends simply do not make sense as a commercial tobacco product. Therefore, they are not “for sale” as originally hoped.
Maple Sweetness • Dark Cherry • Warm Vanilla
Created specifically as a companion to The Old Black Cat and Other Ghosts, this limited blend is meant to be enjoyed alongside its stories, memories and ghosts.
Dark Chocolate • Turkish Veil • A Whisper of Smoke
Created specifically as a companion to The Thinking Man’s Trap, this limited blend is meant to be enjoyed alongside its particular observations.
A developing blend leaning toward the English tradition, with room for a crossover character of its own. Still taking shape, this blend is being created as a companion to The Life of a Grown Man.
Poetic Portraits of the Ordinary and Extraordinary
Seeking Wisdom in the World I See
Some things were written because they had nowhere else to go. Some were written because something happened that needed words. Others simply arrived, asking to be noticed.
Unfinished Sentences is the fourth book in the Witness collection and is currently in progress.
There is no firm publication date. The book will be finished when the work says it is finished.
Sometimes someone else finds the words for what we already know but have never quite managed to say.
No permission required.
