Published in May 2025.

Eighty Six’s Cathartes Aura and The Apocalypse Zoo is a poetic adventure into the mind of a turkey vulture experiencing an apocalypse while in captivity. Utilizing his ten-syllable by ten-line form, Eighty Six explores this narrative with hard-hitting rhymes that mirror slam poetry while adeptly weaving in storytelling. The growing tension of being confined within a zoo watching as the other animals react to the chaos ensuing while the world is falling apart adds layers of complexity and helplessness to the narrative arch of the collection. This timely collection puts the reader in the action, pushes them to the edge of their seat, and makes them consider where they would be in the middle of an apocalypse.

— Sarah Rooney, author of Mother Media

This story is written in Ten-By-Ten format. Ten syllables per line. Ten lines per stanza. Ten stanzas per chapter. Ten chapters per book. Ten books in the series.

Eighty Six was born David Klenda in Cedar Creek, Nebraska. His family moved to Western Washington when he was three. He currently resides in Spokane Valley, Washington, with his wife and three kids. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature with a Writing Emphasis from Dominican College in San Rafael, California. The Penguins taught him to write in a wide range of styles and voices. After college, he taught ESL in South Korea for a year. He has worked most of his life as a server and bartender. He currently sells used cars. Both industries have taught him much about character, dialogue and the human condition. He has performed at Broken Mic, Terrain, multiple Foray for The Arts events, Žižkovšiška in Prague and anywhere in Spokane he’s able. In March 2020 he won the Last Chance Poetry Slam and earned a spot to compete for Spokane’s regional team. The Finals never happened.

Paperback: $15. ISBN: 978-1-300-51191-5

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