Old Rags and Iron is a collection of narrative poems about the life experiences of working-class people with whom the author, R. F. McEwen, is not only acquainted but whose lives he has shared. McEwen supplemented his income as a teacher while working as a professional logger and tree trimmer, and he writes with great love and respect for blue-collar families. Set primarily in the back-of-the-yard neighborhood of South Side Chicago, where McEwen grew up, as well as Pine Ridge, South Dakota, western Nebraska, Ireland, and elsewhere, the poems celebrate many voices and stories. Utilizing tree-trimming as a central metaphor, these poems of blank verse fictions reverberate like truth.

And There's Been Talk . . . is a collection of snapshots centered around the lives of those living in the Midwest spanning a total of fifty years. This collection of short stories explores family ties, family expectations, work promotions and demotions, jail break and all that follows, and a variety of other life's obstacles. McEwen's writing style is raw and eccentric. His word choice and style allows his stories to be easily read and processed. He brings the characters to life easily and creates a laugh-out-loud novel. McEwen provides the reader with an inside look into life in the Midwest from the Irish-set Montana in 1920 all the way Indiana, South Dakota, and Nebraska in the 1970's and on. And There's Been Talk . . . is a fast-paced, descriptive, and must-read account of life in the Midwest told from a variety of different socioeconomic backgrounds, family situations, and ties that bind us together.