Sign-In
Cart
Whatever Happened to Baby Wayne?
Paperback
Writing InstructionGeneral Poetry
ISBN13: 9781683151333
Publisher: Culicidae Press, LLC
Published: Jun 2 2025
Pages: 124
Weight: 0.39
Height: 0.26 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
You are ten years old. Your stomach aches. Your grandfather's hand rests on your shoulder like a weathered leather glove-silent, steady, and more comforting than any advice ever spoken. You're in a JC Penney, dodging your grandmother's wart-picking scrutiny and your brother's thumb-sucking despair. You're in a swing, singing about your uncle, until he storms out with a belt like a black snake. You stop. You always stop.
This is not a memoir. It is a field guide to survival in the rusted-out towns of New England, where the church bells ring and the pot roast simmers, but love is frozen solid in second-floor apartments. Where boys become men by slamming into each other on football fields, only to be spit out into factories and bars. Where the All-Star never makes it, the coach laughs when he hits you in the face, and the only glory is someone else's.
You meet Jen in Walgreens. She hasn't eaten all day. You buy her candy. She calls you Duane. You don't correct her.
You dream of Nietzsche, of Kerouac, of Bukowski on a bicycle at the Oscars. You write poems like postcards from the edge of memory, where the dead don't speak, but their silence is deafening.
You are Baby Wayne. Or maybe you were. Or maybe you never were.
Also from
Burke, Wayne F.
Also in
Writing Instruction
1000 Words: A Writer's Guide to Staying Creative, Focused, and Productive All Year Round
Attenberg, Jami
Hardcover
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Paperback
The Well-Spoken Thesaurus: The Most Powerful Ways to Say Everyday Words and Phrases
Heehler, Tom
Paperback
Steering the Craft: A Twenty-First-Century Guide to Sailing the Sea of Story
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paperback
Empire of Ink: The Printers, Rogues, and Radicals Who Invented the American Newspaper
Wright, Alex
Hardcover
The Language of the Night: Essays on Writing, Science Fiction, and Fantasy
Le Guin, Ursula K.
Paperback
Take It from Me: An Agent's Guide to Building a Nonfiction Writing Career from Scratch
Habib, Alia Hanna
Hardcover
The Emotion Thesaurus: A Writer's Guide to Character Expression (Second Edition)
Ackerman, Angela
Puglisi, Becca
Paperback
Verb Your Enthusiasm: How to Master the Art of the Verb and Transform Your Writing
Kaufman, Sarah L.
Hardcover
Save the Cat! Writes a Novel: The Last Book on Novel Writing You'll Ever Need
Brody, Jessica
Paperback
Paying for College, 2027: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College
Martz, Geoffrey
The Princeton Review
Chany, Kalman
Paperback
The Writing Rope: A Framework for Explicit Writing Instruction in All Subjects
Sedita, Joan
Paperback
Sit Write Here: 6 Mindfulness Practices to Help You Write More and Suffer Less
Dávila, April
Paperback
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Paperback
Page One to Done: Finish Your Novel in 30 Days with the Fast Drafting Method
Brody, Jessica
Paperback
Plot Twist: Life, Craft, and the Messy First Draft: A Memoir on Writing (Large Print Edition)
Coben, Harlan
Paperback
How to Take Smart Notes: One Simple Technique to Boost Writing, Learning and Thinking
Ahrens, Sönke
Paperback
Scriptnotes: A Book about Screenwriting and Things That Are Interesting to Screenwriters
August, John
Mazin, Craig
Hardcover
The Modern Guide to Querying Literary Agents: From Rejection to Representation in 8 Steps
McDonald, Patrick
Matesic, Alyssa
Paperback
Smart Brevity: The Power of Saying More with Less (Revised and Updated)
Vandehei, Jim
Allen, Mike
Schwartz, Roy
Hardcover
Publication Manual (Official) 7th Edition of the American Psychological Association
American Psychological Association
Hardcover
A Manual for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, Ninth Edition: Chicago Style for Students and Researchers
Turabian, Kate L.
Paperback
Korean Stories for Language Learners: Traditional Folktales in Korean and English (Free Online Audio)
You, Eunsun
Damron, Julie
Paperback
Read These Banned Books: A Journal and 52-Week Reading Challenge from the American Library Association
American Library Association (ALA)
Paperback
Handwriting Practice Book for Kids Ages 6-8: Printing workbook for Grades 1, 2 & 3, Learn to Trace Alphabet Letters and Numbers 1-100, Sight Words, 10
Hippidoo
Lalgudi, Sujatha
Paperback
Libro de caligrafía para adultos: Explorando la belleza de las letras - Mi primer cuaderno de caligrafía creativa
Style, Life Daily
Paperback
Seberson Method: New Sat(r) Vocabulary Workbook: Over 700 High-Frequency Words to Master
Seberson, Katya
Paperback
The Vocabulary Builder Workbook: Simple Lessons and Activities to Teach Yourself Over 1,400 Must-Know Words
Lele, Chris
Magoosh
Paperback
Writing Fiction, Tenth Edition: A Guide to Narrative Craft
Burroway, Janet
Stuckey-French, Elizabeth
Stuckey-French, Ned
Paperback
AP English Language and Composition Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 8 Practice Tests + Online Practice
Schanhals, Michael
Paperback
AP English Literature and Composition Premium, 2027: Prep Book with 8 Practice Tests + Online Practice
Schanhals, Michael
Paperback
Learn Russian with Beginner Stories: Interlinear Russian to English
Van Den End, Kees
Hyplern, Bermuda Word
Gettys, Serafima
Paperback
Princeton Review AP English Language & Composition Premium Prep, 21st Edition: 8 Practice Tests + Digital Practice Online + Content Review
The Princeton Review
Paperback
Write a Novel in 100 Days: The Busy Writer's Guide to Finishing Your Book Fast
Purcell, Kim
Paperback
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Second Edition: How to Edit Yourself Into Print
Browne, Renni
King, Dave
Paperback
The Vocabulary Workbook for 7th Grade: Weekly Activities to Boost Your Word Power
McLellan, Kelly Anne
Paperback
Lonely Planet French Phrasebook & Dictionary: Learn Essential Phrases & Vocabulary 3,500 Word Two-Way Dictionary Pull-Out Fast Phrases Card Travel wit
Masclef, Jean-Pierre
Janes, Michael
Carillet, Jean-Bernard
Paperback
Blasting Through Blocks: An Artist's Way Guide to Unleashing Your Inner Creativity
Cameron, Julia
Paperback
The Ultimate RPG Villain Backstory Guide: Prompts and Activities to Create Compelling Antiheroes, Enemies, and Bad Guys
D'Amato, James
Apelyan, Dillin
Paperback
Paying for College, 2026: Everything You Need to Maximize Financial Aid and Afford College
Martz, Geoffrey
The Princeton Review
Chany, Kalman
Paperback
Word Power Made Easy: The Complete Handbook for Building a Superior Vocabulary
Lewis, Norman
Paperback
The Only Grammar Book You'll Ever Need, Updated Edition: Your One-Stop Source for Mastering English Grammar
Thurman, Susan
Paperback
How to Write Romantasy: Blending Fantasy and Romance into One Heart-Stopping Adventure
Moreci, Jenna
Paperback
Print and Cursive Handwriting Workbook: 35 Lessons to Improve Your Penmanship
Sanders, Sally
Paperback
Violent Phenomena: Essays Toward the Future of Literary Translation
Bhanot, Kavita
Tiang, Jeremy
Paperback
The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
Laux, Dorianne
Addonizio, Kim
Paperback
Thinking Through Writing: A Guide to Becoming a Better Writer and Thinker
Kaag, John
Van Belle, Jonathan
Paperback