Dresses from the Old Country [Paperback]

In Laura Reads second poetry collection, the former poet laureate of Spokane, WA, weaves past and present together to create a portrait of a life in progress. As the speaker looks back on her life, she exists simultaneously as all the selves she has ever been: a lost child, a lonely adolescent, a teacher, a daughter, a friend, a wife, a mothera woman continually shaped and reshaped by memory and experience. Deeply rooted in a particular time and place, Reads poems strip away the illusion of the passage of time as they reveal how we are all wearing dresses from the old country.

Dresses from the Old Countryis the second collection by Laura Read, who recently completed a two-year term as the poet laureate for Spokane, WA. Her first book,Instructions for My Mothers Funeralwas selected by Dorianne Laux for the Donald Hall Poetry Prize in 2011.

Strong regional appeal: the collection references landmarks and historical events in Spokane and Eastern Washington, and the author is well connected to the literary community in the Pacific Northwest.

Themes of motherhood, feminist theory (specifically related to womens bodies), and how gender shapes identity are threaded throughout this collection, giving it an extra appeal for both women and any reader interested in womens and gender studies.

Several poems referenceFlashdance, Rocky,and other pop culture touchstones from the 70s and 80s that will appeal to Gen-X and Millennial readers.

(no confirmed events yet: author is making initial pitches this month)Pitching author for the Montana Festival of the Book (late September)Book launch: Aunties Bookstore, Spokane, WA, October 14th (dates tentative)Bellingham & Seattle: Oct. 20/21, 2018Ellensburg, WA: late OctoberChicago, IL & New York, NY: late October/early NovemberPortland, OR: NovemberMoscow, ID (University of Idaho): NovemberAWP 2019Warrensburg, MO (University of Central Missouri): date TBD

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