A Sixty-Watt Las Vegas is the latest collection of poetry from Mike Di Placido; the title (and much of the contents) written in celebration of the author's hometown of Scarborough, North Yorkshire.

As well as observations on the town and its culture, past and present, the collection features cameos from various literary figures (Dickens faces up to Pizza Hut, T.S. Eliot shows up at a coffee bar), ghosts ‘milling around the lily pond’ under Valley Bridge, and what must be the greatest poem ever written from the perspective of a vacuum cleaner.

Following on from his pamphlet Theatre of Dreams (Smith/Doorstop, 2009), these poems demonstrate wit, wisdom, and Di Placido’s continuing ability to reveal the extraordinary from the ordinary.


Praise for Mike Di Placido:

‘An outstanding first collection.’
– Peter Sansom

'Sparkling, witty, lively ... a cracking read.'
– Carole Bromley, The North

‘I can't remember when I enjoyed a book of poems so much – possibly Ted Hughes' Season Songs.’
– Keith Sagar

‘A really gorgeous and rewarding collection. I loved it.’
– David Morley