“Only one word for the collaboration between Wolfgang Carstens and Janne Karlsson: brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! I LOVE the ingenious innovation of Factory Reject! The poems are supreme, the art a perfect match! Beautiful layout! Perfect book size! Magnificent combination of poetry and art! Super introduction by George Anderson! I like the way it feels in my hands! Marvelous cover! Excellent slogan: LIVE NOW!”
—Tony Moffeit, Pueblo Blues
“In one breath Carstens confesses to love and sin—of which neither he seeks redemption…”
—Bill Gainer, The Fine Art of Poisoning
“Some of Wolfgang Carstens’ poems in Factory Reject made me laugh my ass off, others brought me to tears, still others were poignant, or just simply, beautiful. He’s nailed these down tighter than a drum. There’s no pretension or bullshit afoot. Carstens is hands down the real deal.”
—Doug Draime, More Than The Alley
“Carstens’ poetry is a knife cutting through all of today’s pretentious bullshit. He doesn’t write to please the masses; he writes to wake them from their slumber.”
—Jack Shaw, Black Rainbow
“There is a terrific moment in Factory Reject, where the poet has to painfully finish a landscape for a painter with his own flourish. It is a requiem and an elegy. I think that this is coda for Carstens—always trying to finish up the most terrible things. He reminds us that there are worse things than death—he gives us poetry made of flesh rendered—the meat of poems left to be eaten...and there after the apocalypse you find Carstens asking just how you want it cooked. It is a book about putrefaction, like most good books of poetry are, in my opinion—however, Carstens reconciles pain with experience in ways that you will remember and wonder why you have not found before.”
—Joseph Milford, Joe Milford Show
“Carstens has a knack for taking the obvious and turning it into an indictment. This is particularly true in his latest work, Factory Reject. And yet, right in the midst of his tough guy stance, Carstens shows the reader that he can be almost tender…writing poems about his children, the one that got away and even his wife.
To read a book of poetry by Wolfgang Carstens is to enter a labyrinth wherein each turn may lead to a surprise…from tough to tender and back again. A journey down the backstreets of a heart that has been through the wringer more than once!”
—RD Armstrong, Fire and Rain
“Factory Reject by Wolfgang Carstens is a collection of poetry, written as an intricate instruction manual for a life stripped away of all necessary bullshit. Point blank writing, heartbreaking illustrations, enough humor and insight to illuminate all the weird darkness of the ordinary day.”
—Bud Smith, Tollbooth
“Factory Reject is a collection brimming with ideas, anecdotes, insights and cautionary advice. Carstens’ voice is intimate, confessional and sometimes wildly funny. He confronts life’s nasty stupidities and absurdities with a reassuring but deprecatory smile.”
—George Anderson, Bold Monkey