Hello and welcome to this installment of The Jose Vilson Book Giveaway, where I’ll do my best to offer the latest and greatest books I can scrounge up … and all for free.

< whooping and hollering here >

This week, I’m offering a very special, exclusive book for any and all contestants who wish to participate. Before I continue, though …

The rules are as follows:

1. Leave a comment at the bottom of this post with the words: “Back in ’94 they call me Chi-town’s Nas, Now them cats know I’m one of Chi-town’s gods.”

2. Hit “Like” in my fan page Jose Vilson.

3. (very important) Leave a comment on my Facebook page.

That’s IT!

The last day to enter your comment is Thursday, August 16th, 2012 at 11:59pm. Three winners will be randomly selected from all the commenters. Multiple entries are not allowed. Once you win, I’ll contact you directly with further details. Please make sure you respond quickly (within 48 hours of my choosing the winner), or you’ll lose the drawing.

The book I’m giving away in this entry is Breaking the Habit, an exclusive limited edition chapbook by Tara Betts. You’ll be glad you read it for sure. Here’s a sample excerpt from a poem from the book:

“how does a circle form, a silence swells,
finds some tongue & groove to latch
inside your mouth when you begin
to speak, tell a story in a softer voice,
lowered eyes levered by hollowing.

how does laughter lift, break whine when
a sting stabs the flattening moment
that lingered fecund, now drained.

what happens when blood disappears
what happens when empty drawers sigh
at closed doors and the clock ticks its curse
and brings you closer to some mortal tangle …”

– from “how does the road open”

That’s as far as I can go, but if you’d like more (and trust me, there’s more), follow the instructions to win your own exclusive copy.

It’s got real talk. She’s one of my favorite poets, so if you do win, I’d love to hear your thoughts.

Good luck to all the contestants! Yes sir!

Jose, who’s got at least one more before summer’s end …