audrey walls | small ghost

Review of Handsome 5.1

Mon, 13 May 2013 14:28:45 -0400

Canadian poet + Handsome contributor rob mclennan has written a really great review of the latest issue of Handsome, the literary journal I’ve been working with this year. In the review, he posts selections from some of his favorite works, which includes a shout-out to the last lines of my poem “Aquaphobia”. I’m honored to be acknowledged, so check it out!

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Sun, 05 May 2013 19:02:59 -0400

Nominated for Best New Poets 2013

Thu, 18 Apr 2013 14:33:00 -0400

How much love can one literary journal give you? Answer: tons. Once again, the fabulous people who run Butler University’s literary journal, Booth, have blown my mind as they’ve nominated my poem “History” for inclusion in Best New Poets 2013. I can’t thank them enough! Fingers crossed, y’all.

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Tue, 16 Apr 2013 16:24:10 -0400

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Sat, 06 Apr 2013 14:06:38 -0400

Mississippi Review poetry prize finalist

Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:30:00 -0400

My poem, “Unsent Letter to a Young Photographer” was chosen as a finalist for Mississippi Review’s 2013 Poetry Prize + will appear in their upcoming issue this summer. I’m totally thrilled, as I had always hoped this particular poem would leave home + make it big. Yeah!

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Mon, 25 Mar 2013 13:11:45 -0400

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Mon, 18 Mar 2013 15:38:57 -0400

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Fri, 01 Mar 2013 11:40:49 -0500

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Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:58:36 -0500

isthenewmbvalbumoutyet.tumblr.com

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:19:41 -0500

isthenewmbvalbumoutyet.tumblr.com

peggy olson is my spirit animal.

Sun, 20 Jan 2013 19:50:00 -0500

peggy olson is my spirit animal.

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Sat, 12 Jan 2013 13:58:07 -0500

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Thu, 03 Jan 2013 09:57:00 -0500

Thanks to the folks at pwatemvcu for asking me to contribute a...

Sat, 29 Dec 2012 10:14:00 -0500

Thanks to the folks at pwatemvcu for asking me to contribute a book recommendation!

pwatemvcu:

Audrey Walls, poetry M.F.A. candidate at VCU, past Poictesme contributor, and editor at Failbetter, on one of her favorite books, Cat’s Eye by Margaret Atwood…

I’ve always been mesmerized by writers who excel at both fiction and poetry, and Margaret Atwood is no exception. Her literary catalog is staggeringly extensive: numerous collections of poetry, several award-winning novels that branch from reinterpretations of Greek myth to speculative narratives of a dystopian future, books of criticism on contemporary Canadian literature, and so on. However, out of all that I’ve read, Cat’s Eye remains my absolute favorite without doubt or reservation.

At the center of Cat’s Eye is Canadian painter and artist Elaine Risley, who has returned to the city of her youth, Toronto, after spending much of her adult life in Vancouver. With this return comes an outpouring of memories of her childhood friends, especially Cordelia, who succeeded in tormenting Elaine as only pre-pubescent girls can. Split between present time and Elaine’s nightmarish memories, Cat’s Eye resonates with painful accuracy at the trials and punishments of children’s schoolyard politics, and also tells the overall story of the making of Elaine as an accomplished artist as an adult.

The language in Cat’s Eye coils and shimmers like snakeskin, as turns of phrase and catalogs of description take on poetic movement and devastating importance within paragraphs of each other. As an adult, Elaine realizes that Cordelia haunts her for a very specific reason: “We are survivors, of each other. We have been shark to one another, but also lifeboat. That counts for something.” There’s no other way to describe the novel except as dark, distinct, and a visceral testimony to the resonance of memory.

Audrey Walls is a third-year MFA student in creative writing at Virginia Commonwealth University and poetry editor of the online literary journal failbetter. Her poetry has appeared in or is forthcoming from Booth, Cimarron Review, Cream City Review, Handsome, The Pinch, storySouth, Superstition Review, Unsplendid and elsewhere. You can follow her on tumblr here.

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Thu, 29 Nov 2012 22:00:33 -0500

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Mon, 26 Nov 2012 10:41:26 -0500