Where can we read your recent work?
I was beyond thrilled to introduce my debut poetry collection, Dear Vulcan, in March 2020 with LSU Press. Publishing during a pandemic has been very different than I imagined! Still, it’s been great to share the work with readers virtually. Three poems in the collection were originally published in Tinderbox. More recently, I had a new poem published in Boulevard Magazine.
What are you reading right now?
frank: sonnets by Diane Seuss is one of the most charged collections I’ve read this year. I bought copies for everyone. I’ve also been finding solace in the work of Mary Oliver lately. Another thought-provoking book that came out this year is What Pecan Light by Hannah VanderHart. I was intrigued by the way the author struggles with racism and family history as it’s something I think my previous work hasn’t addressed.
What’s next for you?
Fiction! Working from home last year, I decided to finally tackle the novel idea I’ve been playing with. I’m working on a second draft currently. It’s been fun flexing new muscles, doing research, and of course allowing the odd bit of poetry to creep in.
Bio: Laura Davenport is the author of Dear Vulcan (LSU Press) and the chapbook Little Hates (Dancing Girl Press). Her poems have appeared in Best New Poets 2009, Crab Orchard Review, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, Connotation Press: An Online Artifact and Boulevard Magazine, among others. You can find Laura at www.davenportlaura.com