Laura Henriksen’s first book, Laura’s Desires, was recently published by Nightboat Books; an excerpt is available as a chaplet from Belladonna*. Her writing can be found in LitHub, Newest York, and other places. She lives in Sunset Park, Lenapehoking, teaches writing at Pratt Institute, and works as the Program Director of The Poetry Project.
Laura’s Desires is a diptych of two formally distinct long poems, each approaching various pop-cultural artifacts as a way to engage with longing, vulnerability, and the possibility of liberation.
Referencing pop culture artifacts, from hit ’90s singles like Selena’s “Dreaming of You” to heroines of cult classic TV and films (Laura Palmer and Variety’s Christine), this dynamic collection looks to these iconic touchstones as sites for feminist analysis and intervention. Traveling through dreamscapes, fantasy, and the quotidian, Laura’s Desires forges a path away from fear and shame, guiding us towards liberation.
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