Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across is in the world!!

Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across has been many, many years in the making. I’ve been working on this manuscript for the last five years. I didn’t want to get a book deal simply because of my music career, I wanted to release a poetry collection because my writing deserved it. I still don’t know if this writing is good enough to merit my book deal, but I know that I’ve worked really hard, and have dedicated myself to the craft of writing poetry. I feel confident in saying this is my best writing. Two parts of the book are poems from my old chapbook, 500 Tips for Fat Girls, though I’ve painstakingly edited the poems to make something new that I’m proud of. The other parts of the book, however, are all new. I wrote a poem every week for a year, I took poetry writing workshops (thanks Winter Tangerine!) and classes from accomplished poets (thanks Shira Erlichman & Rachel McKibbens!) to hone my craft and I’m so grateful for everyone that made this possible! I still don’t know if I’m that great of a writer, but I know that I made something that was healing for me and something that I’m excited to share.

The collection might be startling and unnerving for folks only familiar with my pop music or love song ballads, as a lot of these poems talk about dark topics. Maybe if “Secrets” was my fun, tongue-in-cheek thesis about being a complicated, vulnerable person, then Shame is the other end of that complexity. Sexual assault, incest, mental health, body struggles, and general heartbreak, along with a sprinkling of love poems makes up this book. Though a lot of this collection is heavy as all get out, I think there’s actually quite a bit of redemption and I consider it hopeful, rather than nihilistic, unlike this bunny.

I think I’ve linked this book everywhere on my site, and you also probably know what google is, so I’ll let you do your thing and buy books where you like to buy books or don’t buy this book because YOU CAN DO WHATEVER YOU WANNA !!!

I love you all,

Mary