oh hi, it’s officially spring in the pacific northwest, which means the crocuses are going wild, tulips and cherry blossoms are on the cusp of bloom, and my allergies won’t let me forget it.
it took me a full week to recover from attending AWP, which was mostly from so much socializing and learning (but walking ~7 miles daily with a backpack full of books certainly didn’t help). i got to meet a bunch of internet friends/connections and share space with writers i admire. but my absolute highlight was spending time every day with two of my lifelong friends:
something else that happened at AWP was that i was able to put my first book in the hands of people who ordered them—such an exciting and surreal feeling! some of these poems are the ones i’m most proud of.
now Root Rot is out in the world. if you missed the pre-sale, worry not: you can order your copy directly from Cooper Dillon Books here:
the early reviews are in:
oh yeah, i made a playlist for my chapbook too (if you know me at all you know to not listen on shuffle).
a lot of the poems in Root Rot deal with landscapes (on earth, of bodies) and the notion of home, one that either is no longer there or has changed. a friend who read an early draft of the manuscript said weather and grief were its arterials. i was recently re-introduced to the welsh word hiraeth (definition is “deep longing for something, especially one's home.”) but a deeper interpretation is hiraeth as “a homesickness that you cannot return to… the mourning of the lost places of the past.” this sentiment permeates Root Rot, and will continue to be a theme in my writing.
it’s still surreal to think these 26 poems left the private world of my thoughts and feelings, and now live in a place that is both public and physical. what a wild ride.
i hope you are all hanging in there and there is something shiny keeping you looking forward.
xo,
rhienna
Can't wait to sink into your beautiful words and absorb your magical mind. <3!!!
So excited to read it! 💜