As the title implies, Jam features of wealth of poems driven by a distinct music resulting from Joe-Anne McLaughlin's studies in both jazz and blues. Propelled by strong rhythms and line breaks, McLaughlin's poems present a variety of characters trying to get by on the strength of "Waller's boogies / or Morton's rolls / Hot Lips' riffs / or Bessie's groans." An original and exciting voice, McLughlin's poems are introduced by award-winning poet and essayist Stephen Dunn.

Joe-Anne McLaughlin is the author of The Banshee Diaries, published in Canada in 1998. Her poetry has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, The Georgia Review, and was included in the Puschart Prize Anthology VIII. She lives in Munnsville, New York.