I’m Brianna Kratz, a Chicago poet and literature enthusiast. In 2016, I’m reading only women authors for my Read Only Women Experiment (R.O.W.E.). For weekly updates on challenges, conversations, and round-up lists of books I’ve read during the month, keep up with me via Goodreads or Twitter.
The most magical thing happened to me at the beginning of the month. After tweeting about Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s The Year of No Mistakes, the poet herself tweeted back and Write Bloody Publishing complimented my R.O.W.E. project. That day, I collected a handful of further reading recommendations.
https://twitter.com/coaptowicz/status/738079336733937664 https://twitter.com/writebloody/status/738043656792244224Write Bloody Publishing publishes and promotes spoken word poets on the page and the stage. They’re one of the best small presses publishing living poets today, and easily my favorite.
My most recent Write Bloody reads?
Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz I stumbled upon Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz when her poem“Lit” was assigned to my Stand-Up Poetry class in undergrad. The literary references are fantastic, and her performance is beautiful. She’s written a number of poetry collections and non-fiction as well, definitely approachable for first time poetry readers.
I read The Smell of Good Mud in a coffee shop after watching the sun rise over Lake Michigan. With a fine combination of politics and whimsy, Lauren Zuniga’s fearless writing commands the reader to pay attention.
I’m still reading Franny Choi’s Floating, Brilliant, Gone right now, but I can already tell that I’m going to enjoy it. Franny Choi’s book is beautifully illustrated, and feels utterly human.
Currently reading: Floating, Brilliant, Gone by: Franny Choi