i’m just writing to say hi. many things are really hard right now. one thing i’m trying to get better about is experiencing gratitude. sometimes i need to be pointed towards beauty, or be invited to pay attention. spring in the pacific northwest has always done a good job of reminding me:

part i: spring status board

CURRENT STATUS:

• reading: queen of the night - alexander chee & girl, woman, other - bernadine evaristo (plus a bunch of poetry books i picked up at AWP from red hen press)

• watching: common side effects

• listening to: the weather station - humanhood

• eating: lentil harissa stew from grist

• drinking: decaf coffee, sparkling water + cardamom bitters

• grateful for: more and more daylight, soft blankets, a home full of comfort

part ii: new poetry chapbook announcement

i have a new book of poetry forthcoming and i’m sweet on it. two years ago i announced my debut chapbook Root Rot and couldn’t believe how a body of work had come together: i’d started writing again after a silent decade, including a novel-in-progress (which continues to torment and elude me). it’s notable that the creative practice that has stuck best for me is writing poems. since Root Rot i’ve been at work on so many poems, drafting them a few words or lines at a time, sometimes in my notes app on my phone, then shaping them into individual poems and sometimes manuscripts.

Chronicle of Ignition & Destruction is part epic poem about fires and nature and human resilience, part works of erasure, and a love letter to louisiana. you can order your own copy here directly from the publisher, Bottlecap Press. (you can rate/review my work on goodreads here or storygraph here.)

two additional titles i recommend also from Bottlecap Press: zero sum and mud: these two beautiful chapbooks were written by my poetry workshop buds Kate & Kelly respectively, and the reason i submitted to this press in the first place. browse the entire collection here.

here is the playlist to accompany Chronicle of Ignition & Destruction, along with the cover reveal:

here’s to everyone trying their best — i see you.

with love,

rhienna