author
Charles Cottrell
Drawn from grief, addiction, homelessness, and hard-won survival, this Louisville poet writes with directness and heart. His work turns painful experience into plainspoken, deeply personal verse.
1 Audiobook
Jack of No Trades
by Charles Cottrell
About the author
Based in Louisville, Kentucky, Charles Cottrell writes poetry rooted in his own life. Published material about his book My Life says he began writing as a way to process pain and endure some very difficult seasons, including the loss of his daughter, divorce, homelessness, addiction, and depression.
That background shapes the voice readers meet on the page: honest, unguarded, and focused on survival rather than polish. His poems aim to speak plainly about suffering, healing, and what it takes to keep going.
Cottrell is also credited with Jack of No Trades. Across his work, the strongest impression is of a writer using poetry not as escape, but as a way to tell the truth about a life lived through hardship.