New release 'A Pocketful of Poems' explores love, loss, and the laughter of everyday life

Craig Pugh explores coffee, cats, marriage and the craft of writing in new poetry collection

OMAHA, Neb., Oct. 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Poet Craig Pugh invites readers into a world where coffee brews with character, cats embody both mystery and mischief, and marriage endures with humor and heart in his latest book, "A Pocketful of Poems" (published by Archway Publishing).

Inspired by his lifelong love of poetry — and by the constants of coffee, cats, and a marriage of 50 years — Pugh crafts a collection that balances clever wit with emotional depth. Within its pages are five poems about coffee, five about cats, 20 on marriage, and 25 more about poetry itself and the "madness of writing." Together, they create a literary mosaic that demonstrates how poetry can be a means of laughing through pain and discovering grace amid struggle.

"My poems are clever and contemporary while conveying a constant sense of mirth," the author said. "In this age of lies, distortion and AI, people have a need to connect to something real and honest and true."

A passage from "I Got a Deal for You" reads: 

We both know life's a game of chance with
winners and losers, and we're a pair of dice
thrown by drunken gods playing the odds.
We hit the table hoping for snake eyes
and bust out when the toss turns otherwise.

When asked what he wants readers to take away from the book, Pugh replied, "A sense of reverence about the miracle of life and the gift of love."

"A Pocketful of Poems" is available through major bookstores nationwide and may be purchased directly through https://www.archwaypublishing.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/867313-a-pocketful-of-poems.

"A Pocketful of Poems"
By Craig Pugh
Softcover | 6 x 9in | 114 pages | ISBN 9781665777605
E-Book | 114 pages | ISBN 9781665777612
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

About the Author
Craig Pugh has been writing poetry for more than 60 years. His career includes roles as editor of the 6940th Security Wing base newspaper at Goodfellow AFB, staff writer for Airman Magazine at Kelly AFB, editor of Air Combat Command News Service at Langley AFB, city hall reporter for The Longview News-Journal in Texas, and English and writing instructor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and Metropolitan Community College. Pugh is also the author of "Ganja Tales" and "Poems for Pickin.'"

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SOURCE Archway Publishing