New poem in In The Mood Magazine!
And happy birthday to my chapbook <3
“ANOTHER STACY LONDON POEM,” by moi, is in the new issue of In The Mood Magazine. Check it out if you feel like reading something that starts in an early 2000s living room and then takes several turns.
In The Mood is one of my favorite publications because it’s dedicated primarily to TV shows and movies, which, same. It’s also beautifully designed without looking like every other Respectable Literature Website. And each issue has a different color scheme!
This was my first time pitching a poem before submitting it, which was fun. Felt kind of like a midcentury reporter in a sweaty newsroom. I got the scoop, boss. I pitched it as follows:
A poem centered on my on-and-off parasocial relationship with Stacy London from the reality TV show What Not to Wear. It’s about reflections of the body and the inherent violence of being a tween girl. But funny :)
The theme for this issue was “twins,” and I should clarify that I do not consider Stacy London and I to be anything approaching twins. But she did have an absolute chokehold on how I talked to myself in the mirror in middle school, for better or worse. And I’d like to think our healing trajectories over the next 2 decades were kind of parallel. In some ways, she’s still who I want to be when I grow up, even though we’re both so different now.
Here’s some very early What Not to Wear, featuring a fan favorite people still defend to this day.
Speaking of ~time~…
BOY BAND is 1 now 👶
If you’re reading this, you’ve likely made it through one full year of me promoting my deranged chapbook. Give yourself a pat on the back!
Really though, so many more people than I expected seemed to get something out of these poems, which is cool. And I’ve loved seeing photos of BOY BAND on people’s shelves, next to their coffee on a patio somewhere, or even hanging (in full or in part) on a wall?!? Wild! Thank you thank you thank you 💖
Also, a cheeky tie-in to the In The Mood piece, if you have my chapbook: as it turns out, the Stacy London poem is a prequel/companion to “Slurp.” Cute!
Poems I’ve enjoyed lately
“Form And Shape Are Verbs” by Nora Hikari—[takes long drag on a cigarette] [exhales into your face] Great last line.
“Girl World” by Aderet Fishbane—Also from the new issue, and (sort of) about Don’t Worry Darling! I like to talk a big game about my work being unhinged, but this gives me a run for my money. Admirable.
Perceived Distance from Impact by Kamden Hilliard—Bought this based solely on the description and was not disappointed.