New Book Review, New Poetry Video, Dance & Fashion Article

A new review of The Crimes of Clara Turlington came out today in Glass: A Journal of Poetry. You can read it here. I really appreciate all the reviews of this book. You can read earlier reviews of The Crimes of Clara Turlington here, here, and here.

I'm in this article about dance and fashion that came out in Racked on February 15th. It's a really fun piece.

Earlier in 2017, Vending Machine Press published some of my poems, and the journal now has a channel on dailymotion. You can watch me read my pieces from VMP here.

New Book Review, New Poems

There is a new review of The Crimes of Clara Turlington out in the current issue of Red Paint Hill Poetry Journal! You can read it here.

On Inauguration Day, three new poems came out in Vending Machine Press. You can read the poems here.

Another poem of mine is forthcoming in the publication Print-Oriented Bastards.

Am I forgetting anything?

I'm working on new pieces so that's where my mind is right now.

Also... I've been walking around with a shocked look on my face since the election. I'll leave it at that.

Nonfiction in Bustle, Reading at Beaverdale Books, and JT LeRoy Madness

This weekend I watched two documentaries about JT LeRoy. When I was growing up, I didn't hear about "his" breakout as a literary star, so I learned a lot of shocking information in one weekend. Author: The JT LeRoy Story is fairly sympathetic to Laura Albert, and The Cult of JT LeRoy is very critical of her. Both documentaries are fascinating on their own, but I definitely recommend watching them together. 

In December I had new nonfiction come out in Bustle which you can read here. It's about late summer 2016.

On Sunday I am reading at Beaverdale Books. Here's the info:

IOWA WRITERS JOIN NATIONAL MOVEMENT 

TO “RE-INAUGURATE” DEMOCRACY:

Des Moines will host a Writers Resist Event on January 15, 

Part of a Nationwide Movement to Reclaim Democracy

Des Moines, Iowa, January 4 2017 — What began with an idea on social media by a writer in Florida has spread across the nation to Iowa.  Writers from Des Moines, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids are joining together to host local events as part of  an international Writers Resist movement being held on the Birthday of Martin Luther King Jr. Writers across the nation and Europe will gather as part of a a “re-inauguration” of our shared commitment to the spirit of compassion, equality, free speech, and the fundamental ideals of democracy. 

The Des Moines event will be held at Beaverdale Books located at 2629 Beaver Ave. from 1-4 p.m. on January 15, 2017. Writers will read from a selection of diverse writers’ voices that speak to the ideals of Democracy, compassion, and free expression. The event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend. Internationally published readers and speakers include:

Ned Balbo, Evan Burger of Iowa Citizen Action Network, Paul Brooke, Jim Coppoc, Heather Derr Smith, Marc Dickinson, Meg Johnson, Aaron Jorgensen-Briggs of the Catholic Worker House, Jennifer L. Knox, Kyle McCord, Yasmina Madden, Blueberry Morningsnow, Ebonesiah Morrow, Akwi Nji, Jane Satterfield, Brian Spears and Phoebe Wagner.

There will also be an open mic with a five-minute limit.

In Cedar Rapids, the event will be held at Coe College’s Dows Fine Arts Center from 2-4:30 p.m., and at Iowa City’s Englert Theatre from 2-4 p.m.

Poet, and founder of the Writers Resist movement, Erin Belieu, grew increasingly concerned during the recent Presidential campaign over public cynicism and how disdain for truthfulness seems to have eroded democratic ideals. When asked why her initial outreach to fellow writers the day after the election seemed to elicit such a strong response, Belieu, who also co-founded VIDA: Women in Literary Arts, said, "Writers are acutely aware when the uses of language are empty.” She continued,

“Whether you live in a red or blue state, or another country that cares deeply about the American experiment, there is no more important battle than our right to truth.” 

Pushcart Nomination, New Issue of Dressing Room, Etc.

I haven't blogged in over a month. The aftermath of the election has really been on my mind. I try to keep this blog mostly focused on the arts, so I'll put it this way... The first time I saw this piece I was 13 years old. I think it is always relevant, but it feels especially fitting right now. I also recommend watching this and this. 

On November 20th I read with Jennifer L. Knox and Kyle McCord and we read some of our work as a reaction to the election. 

On November 29 the new issue of Dressing Room Poetry Journal came out. The issue features poetry by Geoff Anderson, Roy Bentley, Ace Boggess, Robert Lee Brewer, Anne Champion & Jenny Sadre-Orafai, Jim Daniels, Holly Day, Riley Gable, Howie Good, Samantha Guss, Katie Irish, Robert Karaszi, Gabrielle Lessans, Marie Marandola, Ken Meisel, Robert Miltner, Hannah Nahar, Rachelle Pinnow, Jackson Sabbagh, John Walser, Laura Grace Weldon, and Francesca Wilkin. You can read Issue Eleven here. Over three thousand poems were submitted for Issue Eleven. Thanks to everyone who sent poems. Also, check out this article about Dressing Room contributor Brian Beatty. 

Earlier this fall, I worked as an external reviewer for University of Akron Press for one of their forthcoming books. I'm excited about their forthcoming titles.

Thank you so much to The East Bay Review! On November 30th I found out The East Bay Review nominated my work for a Pushcart Prize!

My second book, The Crimes of Clara Turlington, will be one year old tomorrow! (Released December 11th, 2015.) 

I hope I'm not forgetting any updates. 2016 has been a strange year so please bear with me.

Happy Holidays!

Vote! (Plus a Poem)

I have a poem in the new issue of The East Bay Review which you can read here.

Please vote if you haven't already. I voted a couple weeks ago.

Nonfiction Forthcoming in Bustle (& Other Projects)

I have new nonfiction forthcoming in Bustle. I'll let you know when it comes out! Writing nonfiction is sort of addicting.

Last week I read at the launch party for a new project headed by Jennifer L. Knox. You can read one of the poems I wrote for the launch party here.

On August third I became an aunt. My nephew's name is Elliott. He is extremely cute and cuddly! (I'm not going to post photos of him on this blog though because I believe children should have privacy, especially online. If I wasn't a performer turned writer I wouldn't post very much about myself on the internet. I'm an introvert.)