Red Shuttleworth

"Johnny Ringo" is an epic poem, the journey of a demon-struck Old West outlaw well- stocked with zany, bloody charisma. Johnny Ringo, like the mad Roman emperor Caligula, rides the West seeking absolutes through the divination of violence and abject attempts to locate love.

"In poetry that burns with the cold fire of truth, Red Shuttleworth traces the life of Johnny Ringo, a notorious Old West outlaw who left a trail of blood and misery. I am haunted by Shuttleworth's authentic voice of violence, insanity, despair. "Johnny Ringo" is a chilling achievement, finely wrought, and an unblinking look at one of the most compelling characters of the true West. "Johnny Ringo" is transcendent.
- Max McCoy, two-time Spur Award-winning novelist, author of "Damnation Road"


"Madness, blood, illusion, delusion, and more blood. Red Shuttleworth brilliantly captures the grit and grime and pain of the American outlaw Johnny Ringo. "Johnny Ringo": One hell of a story/​poem.
-Adrian C. Louis, poet and novelist, author of "Ancient Acid Flashes Back" and "Skins"


"Beautiful and razor-sharp, mixing warmth with bitterness, this epic poem captures the West and that mythical, misunderstood figure, Johnny Ringo, better than any filmmaker, novelist, or historian could possibly manage. With "Johnny Ringo," Red Shuttleworth cements his reputation as the greatest Western poet at work today. Bravo!"
-Johnny D. Boggs, six-time Spur Award-winning novelist, author of "Legacy of a Lawman" and "West Texas Kill."