Books like Junction City by Scott C. Holstad

Scott C. Holstad’s poetry collection captures the rhythms of working‑class city life, exploring addiction, mental health, and street experience in a confessional, Beat‑influenced voice.

Scott C. Holstad’s collection "Places" blends outspoken anger with moments of contemplation, exploring violence, oppression, and the urban experience in a confessional, Beat‑influenced voice.

Artifacts is Scott C. Holstad’s latest chapbook of confessional poetry that delves into violence, pain, mental health, and survival with sharp satire, dark humor, and moral questioning.

A collection of dark, satirical Beat‑style poems that blend violence, humor and confessional voice, reflecting on a bleak modern existence.

An anthology of absurd, dark humor short stories featuring a cast of utterly ridiculous characters, including: ✅ Norman the Insurance Salesman (who aspires to great insurance-related things), ✅ Bob the Evil Milkman (delivering more than just dairy), ✅ Ben the Bus (who, to be honest, overrreacts a bit), ✅ Kevin the Wizard (spoiler: he’s a complete dick), ✅ And Emmanuel the Wall (…who is, quite literally, a wall). Think Monty Python. Think The Mighty Boosh. Think Douglas Adams. Imagine Terry Pratchett and Franz Kafka get drunk in a pub, get kicked out for being too weird, and decide to write a book together. 📖 What’s inside? 50(ish) surreal, satirical, and unapologetically bizarre short stories Twisted and mature humour that blends the best of absurdist fiction and British comedy A book perfect for short attention spans, bathroom reading, or traumatizing your friends Weird? Absolutely. Funny? Hopefully. Regrettable? Definitely. If you love dark humour, satire, and books that make you go ‘what the hell did I just read?’, this is for you. 🔹 Perfect for fans of absurdist fiction, British comedy books, and short stories that don’t take themselves seriously. (If you're American - read all the above but replace humour with humor. I won't hold it against you.)

Mike Halchin, in Driver's Side Airbag vol. 17, 1994, wrote this: "… some good quiet reflective material…where you can only walk outside and think…and hope this feeling never ends…" Meanwhile, Frank Allen described it in the Library Journal vol. 2 (1994?) as such: "An introspective, autobiographical glimpse of a working class hero/loner." Probably one of this author's more tranquil books of poems -- a break between previous surviving in the streets, social outrage and activism, some occasional (raunchy?) low brow humor to the later total insanity portrayed in works that would follow this book in a few years.