And I'm So Proud - Tumblr Posts

1 year ago

I Wrote a Poetry Book šŸ¦·

Hello, friends! I havenā€™t posted anything on here for a while, apart from reblogging gif sets when I get into a new fandom lol, but I wrote a poetry book, and I want to share more information about it!! I would really appreciate anyone skimming over this and/or reblogging. ā¤ļø

A few months ago, I finished my first poetry manuscript, Is It Bad if My Gums Bleed When I Floss?Ā If youā€™re a fan of the macabre, poems about trauma and self-acceptance, or you happen to love teeth like I do, this book might be for you!Ā 

Is it Bad if My Gums Bleed When I Floss? is a collection of poems following Netty, a dental student, from childhood to adulthood and the relationships she forms throughout, including a sexually abusive relationship with her professor. When she emerges on the other side, itā€™s with heavy trauma and a newfound desire to fully accept her own sexuality, as well as heal her fractured relationship with herself. Itā€™s a lot of body horrorā€”it is pulling teeth and probing gum pockets and tasting blood on someone elseā€™s lips. Itā€™s literally teeth poetry. Itā€™s not pretty, but I think thatā€™s the beauty of it.

Because I know itā€™s easy to see this and not really know what the hell ā€œteeth poetryā€ means or what my writing is actually like, hereā€™s an exampleā€”this is a concrete poem I want on the back cover of the book, which touches on a lot of the themes and images in the collection (please excuse the poor quality; I donā€™t know how to fix that lol):

image

I want her, I want herĀ 

under my pillow are my babyĀ 

teeth soaking up salivaĀ 

in his mouthĀ 

I taste my blood

under my fingernailsĀ 

press into her skinĀ 

is so pretty

little lips saying

ā€œItā€™s Netty,ā€ and Iā€”

Iā€™m really proud of this manuscript; completing it was like putting to rest years of hatred and shame that were festering within me. But I canā€™t say any of this without giving a BIG thank you to @tigerlilycorinneā€‹Ā and @jovialobservationanchorā€‹ for supporting me while writing this. If it werenā€™t for them reading it, leaving feedback and suggestions, and generally just being the best cheerleaders in the world, I probably wouldā€™ve just let it sit in my Google Drive.

One last note: I have an author InstagramĀ and a Ko-fi if you want to follow or support me elsewhere! Iā€™ll keep you guys updated on any news I hear from the indie publishers Iā€™ve sent this manuscript to, as well as new things Iā€™m writing. (Between you and me, I have another book in the worksā€¦!)

Again, I would very much appreciate if anybody reblogs this! Tag a poetry lover, the dental hygienist you follow, a Dead Dove fan, or the casual tooth enjoyer in your life. I want my poetry to find the audience Iā€™m certain is out there. If you know me, you know Iā€™m not always confident in my writing, but I think this is it. šŸ¦·ā¤ļø


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