Elliot M. Rubin is one of the most prolific poets and writers in the US and indeed in the world today. His “slice of life” poetry has gained popularity because of his ability to write about the world around him. He often says he speaks two languages; English and Brooklyneze, with each poem painting such a glorious and vivid account of life in New York and the streets of America. Often written for the common person, his poetry is observational, satirical, and often leaves the reader reeling from the strapline or witty ending. Soon to Be Banned Beat Poems is Elliot’s follow-up to the Amazon bestseller Show Me the Banksy, a global publication that achieved critical acclaim. Poets from the beat generation, such as Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, and more recently Charles Bukowski, have passed the baton onto Elliot, who inherits a distinguished tradition of poets.
     This collection of one hundred poems is essential reading for those who enjoy poetry with an edge, free from sexual morals, free flowing with a stream of consciousness. Stand out poems include Elevator, Missing, Pissed Off New York, Bronx Party NYC, Big Schvitz, New York City Sidewalks, Endless Legs, Old Men Tattoos, Fingered, Drinking Companions, Manhattan Art Class, A Kiss Remembered, Exposed, Some Call Her, Viral Shopping, Painted Faces, Valentines Day 2021, Romeo And Juliet, Remarriage, Tattooed Theatre Girl, Rage, In The Streets-2023, and Mick Jagger.
     Soon to Be Banned Beat Poems is a book of poems that highlight the underbelly of society, Elliot writes about discreet meetings in bars and stay out late places, of love, lust, and desire and all that is in-between sprawled across the streets of America. His poems are fiercely spontaneous and creative. This is a modern-day classic, which breaks the mold of all that has gone before and earned its place amongst the literacy classics.
Sarfraz Ahmed   Poet (UK) 2024

#4 on Amazon

July 2023

What others say:
In his powerful new collection, Elliot M Rubin "breaks our hearts open" with his poetry. A true romantic, Elliot offers us meditations on mortality, love, politics, and writing all the while positing: How can we sustain ourselves in this beautiful and brutal world? Poetry is his answer... "to finally write for infinity." In these pages, Elliot takes us on "poetic rides" through time, memory and manhood. Not everything was perfect, but in our differences, he finds life "perfect." "I think the world is filled with different vegetables, and that is perfect," Elliot teaches us.
Nancy Bryan, author of the poetry collection, "The Blue Lantern"
*****
Elliot Rubin is equally adept at letting loose with deeply personal reflections, and broad philosophical enigmas, often simultaneously. These narrative poems, with rich characters, concisely spring out of very few words. It reads like Frank O'Hara entered a micro flash fiction contest. There's humor, sex, heroin, Brooklyn, and New Jersey to peruse. "Banksy" is both elusive and standing on a corner with a sledgehammer. Rubin's concrete imagery makes all subjects accessible from historical saloons to the private anguish of abortion. The depths of emotion are tempered with humanity in poems that once etched, remain.
Doug Stuber, author of "Chronic Observer," Finishing Line Press; Editor, Poems from the Heron Clan
*****
In his first poem of the same title in this new collection, elliot m rubin, shows us wonders, surprises, twists, and turns found on everyday streets, just as England's street artist Bansky does with his artistic and colorful impressions. From as early as the 1950s to timeless scenes captured in image-provoking language unique to his well-honed, observant voice, rubin easily convinces us to love his loves, his hates, and his emotions as if they were ours, yet leave room to add our own experience. In shades of Bukowski, William Carlos Williams, Billy Collins, and a field of master poets, rubin stabs, cajoles, shocks, easily shed tears or guffaw as we drink in his natural ability to connect our souls, minds, and hearts with life and spirit.
Rodney Richards is a New Jersey author 

     This eclectic collection, Elliot’s best, demonstrates a maturing of his personal style with his clear masculine vision of the world. His gift for observation of mundane, sometimes ugly details, shows readers that stories are everywhere around us. Elliot, refreshingly, is not a self-absorbed poet—he offers precise snapshots and lets his readers experience their own conclusions. While he creates scenes of great natural beauty “setting summer sun blazes bright as it slowly spirals into the western sky”, he is a master of city-scapes “smog smolders like poisonous gas” and the ordinary people that inhabit them. As the antiestablishment beat poets before him, his work is gritty, sometimes angry, and skeptical, but unlike the others, his work exudes a warmth and compassion for the human condition. He provides a record of a scene, choosing the right words that will make his readers feel the unspoken sorrow or joy of what they have been shown. ​

Carol Johns, poet and retired teacher of English

nominated for a Pushcart Prize 2023

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A  slice of life by Elliot M Rubin "Side Street Poems" are reflections from the man who has walked the many side streets of the big city. You'll read about his vocations with a twist as especially Rubin delivers. Hear the thoughts and follow throughs of a man who recalls his youthful days and relates his later years. Find out how the two are in conflict and conquest.

​www.​CreativeFiction.net

    The book Poems Momma Never Read Me by Elliot M. Rubin is a raw and thought-provoking collection that explores different aspects of life, relationships, and society. Rubin’s work is heavily influenced by the Beat Poetry tradition, which he discusses in the preface. It celebrates an anti-establishment vibe and a gritty, unapologetic style. His poems are often conversational, making them easy to understand, as he avoids the more cryptic, overly academic styles often linked with poetry.
     Rubin’s poems cover a wide range of topics—from everyday life in the city to personal grief, from funny reflections to serious thoughts on death and aging. For example, poems like “Walking Frank O’Hara’s Streets” give a vivid, gritty picture of urban life, while “Memories Sit on the Sofa with Me” captures the touching moments of looking back on the past. Rubin’s ability to switch between different tones and moods is clear, allowing readers to connect emotionally with his work through nostalgia, humor, or sadness.
     His dedication to plain language and unfiltered expression makes Rubin stand out. He talks about everything from brief romantic encounters to deeper themes of loss, social injustice, and introspection, all with an almost conversational ease. His poems like “Skinny Dipping in Lake Hopatcong 1962” show a kind of nostalgic, tender memory, while others such as “Hatred” and “Death Wave” reflect on human suffering and global tragedies, making the collection diverse in both style and theme.
     Overall, Poems Momma Never Read Me is a captivating journey through one man’s observations of life, love, and the world. Rubin’s use of humor, honesty, and the Beat tradition make it a refreshing collection that embraces both the personal and the political, encouraging readers to reflect on their experiences similarly straightforwardly.

Sandra Helene Faraday    retired editor and teacher

on release

 #2 on Amazon 

Contemporary Poetry list

Side Street Poems

is a nominee for a

Pulitzer Prize

in Poetry

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#1 Fall 2024 

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