Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate Louder Birds at Woodland Pattern! And special thanks to Peter Burzynski, Rebecca Dunham, and Susan Firer for supporting the book and reading alongside me!
I spent roughly 6 years off-and-on submitting Louder Birds before it was chosen for the Lena-Miles Wever Todd Prize. The manuscript was revised a lot, originally had a different title and framework, and was a finalist for prizes with presses I love. All of this to say I had a long time to dream up a launch party, and this surpassed some pretty high expectations.
Four years ago, we moved from Madison, where I was part of a network of writers and artists, to Milwaukee, where I knew no one. I was pregnant, raising a three-year-old, helping my son apply for colleges, trying to figure out where to grocery shop, etc., and there wasn't a lot of time to build new relationships or focus on writing.
I talk a lot about the importance of community, and if it weren't for Woodland Pattern and the Bay View Community Center, this room wouldn't exist/would be so much emptier. I'm so lucky to be surrounded by so many people doing remarkable things in this community!