POLITICAL PRISONERS USA and Other Poems, by James Madigan

$25.00

Publication Date: August 15, 2025

Paperback, 98 pages

ISBN: 978-1-966677-16-1

Political Prisoners USA and Other Poems by James Madigan is a necessary debut that draws on expansive public and private experiences to create a lamentation for racial and social inequality. The poems are daring and direct, igniting consciousness and conscience. Madigan recognizes divisions, the fissures in our humanity, and often, the injustices we manifest. Smooth and intimately detailed, this writing calls the reader to action. “Look to the person next to you. Look them in the eye and say:/I will be there with you—.” The reader can count on a reliable speaker, a poet with a vision, and a mission. “Political Prisoners USA: A poem in five parts,” is the narrative thread that intermittently snaps the reader out of disappearing entirely into reflection. His correspondences with political prisoners creates a dose of reality, a sharp pain in the reader’s side: persecution and incarceration exist. The language Madigan uses in the face of such disappointment is lyrical, innovative, and deeply moving. Where equality may not exist socio-politically, it can exist artistically. In “For Every Person,” Madigan writes, “There was a poem/for former Black Panther Billy Che, / for Nathan a proud gay man, / for Phyllis who loves music/that plays down her spine.” His hard-truth content paired with lyric imagery presents the reader with the dichotomy between ugliness and beauty. He is confident, informed, and careful. Madigan’s commentary about ongoing historical, political, environmental, and personal injustice seem to possess a glimmer. “As we approach the end singing,” Madigan muses in the poem, “Songs for Ceasefire,” “Which Side are You On? / a woman appears offering a platter / of sliced watermelon. / Take some, she says. Eat.”

Praise for James Madigan & Political Prisoners USA

In his new collection, James Madigan writes with energy, vivacity, tenacity and heart, and with a firm belief that poems have a role in public life and discourse. As he challenges the state's obsession with imprisoning and disappearing both human and non-human life, Madigan offers counter histories that begin from the body of the poet and move outward to find a language for murder, extinction, and the violent legacies of white supremacy. These are poems about survival, witness, and how we make meaning amid the neverending apocalypses of empire.

—Daniel Borzutzky, 2016 National Book Award winner for The Performance of Becoming Human

With the title Political Prisoners USA, I expected poems that speak frankly about justice issues, and this book did not disappoint. In “Hens and Eggs,” for example, gentle terms describing the care given organic chickens are juxtaposed against images of “children in cages at the Southern border,” run by officials “who find satisfaction in removing dolls and blankets.” Protest against such injustices, other poems make clear, opens a vision of new possibilities: “We march / into the center of the city, meet with other streams of marchers / to create a mighty river of rebellion.” Madigan also affirms a positive role for the arts. Concert goers on a train home from a concert share poems celebrating social justice advocates. “Yes. // There is a poem / for every person.”

—Margaret Rozga, Wisconsin Poet Laureate 2019-2020

James Madigan’s Political Prisoners USA And Other Poems is an affecting exploration of the contradictions that define America’s historical and political landscape. Through sincere, visceral imagery and poignant references, Madigan wrestles with the hypocrisy and cruelty that have encircled his lifetime. He evokes outrage and guilt with what humankind is capable of. Yet, amidst the storms of injustice, this collection finds redemption in the power of activism, solidarity, and love…and hope for the next generation. Salvation for Madigan emerges through poetry and music, serving as both a refuge and a rallying cry. This is not just a collection of poems—it’s a call to reflect and rediscover the resilience that binds us. Madigan closes with these words: Come the twilight of this day, the way grows darker. So, I continue, open to the shock of the new, that one brilliant blossom in bloom just around the next curve of the green path.

—Albert DeGenova, poet and publisher

I am 1000% certain. Liberation does not require permission. It is a matter of decision and discipline. Liberation is also a commitment. A commitment that this vibrant volume of poetry possesses. Madigan pens verse in the continuum of noted Revolutionary poets such as Dylan, Whitman, and Neruda. This poet understands the language of resistance as a tool and necessary disruption. In reading this work, the bodies of these poems become monuments for every freedom fighter named. And most importantly, Babylon is chanted down in the midst of everyday occurrences. Madigan has shaped a body of work that definitely says Revolution is a life lived ON purpose.

—avery r. young, Poet Laureate of Chicago, author of neck|bone: visual verses

About the Author

James Madigan was born in Chicago, the eldest of twelve children. He began writing and publishing poetry in retirement after twenty-five years in public library administration. His background informs his writing, and includes working in retail, assembly line, delivery truck, banking, and administrative positions in non-profits arts and social service organizations. He is a long-time political activist in peace and social justice movements. He returned to school after retirement, and was the recipient of the Michael Anania Award for Poetry in May, 2022 awarded by the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the father of three daughters, and lives with his partner in Oak Park, Illinois.

Publication Date: August 15, 2025

Paperback, 98 pages

ISBN: 978-1-966677-16-1

Political Prisoners USA and Other Poems by James Madigan is a necessary debut that draws on expansive public and private experiences to create a lamentation for racial and social inequality. The poems are daring and direct, igniting consciousness and conscience. Madigan recognizes divisions, the fissures in our humanity, and often, the injustices we manifest. Smooth and intimately detailed, this writing calls the reader to action. “Look to the person next to you. Look them in the eye and say:/I will be there with you—.” The reader can count on a reliable speaker, a poet with a vision, and a mission. “Political Prisoners USA: A poem in five parts,” is the narrative thread that intermittently snaps the reader out of disappearing entirely into reflection. His correspondences with political prisoners creates a dose of reality, a sharp pain in the reader’s side: persecution and incarceration exist. The language Madigan uses in the face of such disappointment is lyrical, innovative, and deeply moving. Where equality may not exist socio-politically, it can exist artistically. In “For Every Person,” Madigan writes, “There was a poem/for former Black Panther Billy Che, / for Nathan a proud gay man, / for Phyllis who loves music/that plays down her spine.” His hard-truth content paired with lyric imagery presents the reader with the dichotomy between ugliness and beauty. He is confident, informed, and careful. Madigan’s commentary about ongoing historical, political, environmental, and personal injustice seem to possess a glimmer. “As we approach the end singing,” Madigan muses in the poem, “Songs for Ceasefire,” “Which Side are You On? / a woman appears offering a platter / of sliced watermelon. / Take some, she says. Eat.”

Praise for James Madigan & Political Prisoners USA

In his new collection, James Madigan writes with energy, vivacity, tenacity and heart, and with a firm belief that poems have a role in public life and discourse. As he challenges the state's obsession with imprisoning and disappearing both human and non-human life, Madigan offers counter histories that begin from the body of the poet and move outward to find a language for murder, extinction, and the violent legacies of white supremacy. These are poems about survival, witness, and how we make meaning amid the neverending apocalypses of empire.

—Daniel Borzutzky, 2016 National Book Award winner for The Performance of Becoming Human

With the title Political Prisoners USA, I expected poems that speak frankly about justice issues, and this book did not disappoint. In “Hens and Eggs,” for example, gentle terms describing the care given organic chickens are juxtaposed against images of “children in cages at the Southern border,” run by officials “who find satisfaction in removing dolls and blankets.” Protest against such injustices, other poems make clear, opens a vision of new possibilities: “We march / into the center of the city, meet with other streams of marchers / to create a mighty river of rebellion.” Madigan also affirms a positive role for the arts. Concert goers on a train home from a concert share poems celebrating social justice advocates. “Yes. // There is a poem / for every person.”

—Margaret Rozga, Wisconsin Poet Laureate 2019-2020

James Madigan’s Political Prisoners USA And Other Poems is an affecting exploration of the contradictions that define America’s historical and political landscape. Through sincere, visceral imagery and poignant references, Madigan wrestles with the hypocrisy and cruelty that have encircled his lifetime. He evokes outrage and guilt with what humankind is capable of. Yet, amidst the storms of injustice, this collection finds redemption in the power of activism, solidarity, and love…and hope for the next generation. Salvation for Madigan emerges through poetry and music, serving as both a refuge and a rallying cry. This is not just a collection of poems—it’s a call to reflect and rediscover the resilience that binds us. Madigan closes with these words: Come the twilight of this day, the way grows darker. So, I continue, open to the shock of the new, that one brilliant blossom in bloom just around the next curve of the green path.

—Albert DeGenova, poet and publisher

I am 1000% certain. Liberation does not require permission. It is a matter of decision and discipline. Liberation is also a commitment. A commitment that this vibrant volume of poetry possesses. Madigan pens verse in the continuum of noted Revolutionary poets such as Dylan, Whitman, and Neruda. This poet understands the language of resistance as a tool and necessary disruption. In reading this work, the bodies of these poems become monuments for every freedom fighter named. And most importantly, Babylon is chanted down in the midst of everyday occurrences. Madigan has shaped a body of work that definitely says Revolution is a life lived ON purpose.

—avery r. young, Poet Laureate of Chicago, author of neck|bone: visual verses

About the Author

James Madigan was born in Chicago, the eldest of twelve children. He began writing and publishing poetry in retirement after twenty-five years in public library administration. His background informs his writing, and includes working in retail, assembly line, delivery truck, banking, and administrative positions in non-profits arts and social service organizations. He is a long-time political activist in peace and social justice movements. He returned to school after retirement, and was the recipient of the Michael Anania Award for Poetry in May, 2022 awarded by the University of Illinois at Chicago. He is the father of three daughters, and lives with his partner in Oak Park, Illinois.