Chuck Barrett writes fiction, poems and commentary articles.

Chuck’s first novel, Slugger: An Odle Agency Mystery, was published in October 2019 to outstanding customer reviews. Available in Kindle e-reader, Nook, and paperback from Amazon, Barnes and Noble and several other e-book outlets, Slugger involves characters from the Appalachian Diaspora set in Louisville, Kentucky, at the Louisville Slugger bat factory. Chuck worked in several job stations at Louisville Slugger in 1969, and assisted briefly in the Black Lung Campaign in eastern Kentucky’s coal fields that same year.

Chuck’s op-ed columns appeared regularly in the Las Cruces, New Mexico, Sun-News from 2015 to 2018 on a wide range of issues. His story, “Marching to Canaan Land,” revised and included in this book, was a finalist in the 2009 New Letters Literary Awards short story division.

Chuck’s other publications include, “The Hustler,” in Rural Heritage magazine, several nonfiction articles on criminal justice in Cities magazine and in the journal Katellagete, as did “One Meaning of Prison in America,” a chapter in the book, And the Criminals With Him. Chuck’s poetry has appeared in small journals as well, and was featured in a 2016 exhibition with the artist, Melody Sears, called, “Duologue, a Conversation Between Poetry and Pastel,” at the Tombaugh Gallery in Las Cruces, New Mexico.

A lifelong activist, Chuck continues that work in several volunteer roles, including monthly visits to long-term federal prisoners, acting as a reading coach with beginning readers, and working with Fair Trade USA. Chuck is a cyclist and plays trombone in a concert band. He and his artist spouse, Melody Sears, and his golden retriever, Sunny, live in the wonderful Sonoran Desert in Tucson, Arizona.