Verse

Jon, a spoken-word poet and New York City bike messenger stumbles upon a lost manuscript from 1974 by Claire Wilks, a forgotten poet who was murdered. Initially intrigued by the possibilities of bringing attention to this important literary work, Jon quickly becomes obsessed to unravel Claire's unsolved murder. Drawn into the New York City literary world, he encounters many poetry characters and landmarks, as well as sparks a romance with beautiful young poet, Angel.

Jon and Angel plunge into the mystery of Claire's death while being stalked by a crazy radical poet, Lamont, who sees the manuscript as a threat to him and his past. Jon meets Mary Alice Fulton, an old friend of Claire's, who warns him of the trouble he's unleashed with the manuscript. Aroused by memories and regret, she reveals more about Claire and her covert past.

While Jon is busy running from the police during a Critical Mass Bike Rally, another mysterious poet, Mark, appears in New York City after a self-exile in Berlin. He is on the brink of major literary success, but will the ghost of Claire and the manuscript destroy him?

While in Berlin, Angel's professor, Bob Holman, discovers a cryptic poem written by Claire that sheds light on a dark figure. As their relationship blossoms, Jon and Angel dig deeper into Claire's manuscript. When they seek out the infamous Taylor Mead, a hoarder poet and former Andy Warhol movie star, he drops them an enticing clue.

Jon's obsession with finding the truth about Claire leads to an unexpected phone call from John Giorno, who invites him to legendary writer and junkie William S. Burroughs' dungeon layer - THE BUNKER. While learning about Claire's secret connection with Burroughs, Jon discovers her typewriter and a suicide note written by her. Was it murder or a suicide?

The infamous pack-rat poet Lamont makes a bold move to steal the manuscript, prompting Jon and Angel to track down the White Rabbit, an underground press from the 1980s. Meanwhile, Mark locks horns with Lamont in the dead of winter over the future of Claire's writings. Co-starring Bob Holman, Eileen Myles, Kurt Boone, Steve Cannon, and others.