Reinvention

Poetry from beloved lead guitarist of the multi-platinum record selling legendary band Triumph

Reinvention is a largely autobiographical collection of poetry a project that followed on the heels of Rik Emmett retiring from a touring musician s and college educator s life in early 2019. Inside all of the slashes that define him singer/songwriter/guitarist/rock star/teacher/columnist writing has always been his strongest avocation, and the poetic style of Ultra Talk, in particular, offered a welcome spark for a songwriter s freedom of expression. This creative license is organized under seven headings The Humanities, Life & Death, There s Politics in Everything, Double Helix, Soapbox Sermonettes, Time Time Time, and Ars Nova 2020.

Rik s poetry (literally) reinvents his own retirement, and it s not just some aging dilettante s bucket list fancy. He discovered a sincere way to tie up a lot of loose ends, fulfill dormant promise, and eschew show biz tangents. Reinvention, his first book, makes some sense of a life that always went in a lot of different directions at once. Finally, he s given himself permission to chase a mode of self-expression with less commercial potential than jazz guitar recordings.