Koss Works

Writing | Poetry | Art

Poem

Anvil Tongue | Emily Dickinson Poems | Wuthering Heights Erasures

·

Happy to be included in this release of Anvil Tongue, a website and book publisher run by Daniel Ryan. An Emily Dickinson erasure on hope, a written poem, and some visual word art based on Wuthering Heights are included. The work is in my manuscript about the suicide of a person dear to me. Some of it is erasure, some of it Art Brut. It defies categorization. See the page here and be sure to check out the whole issues. Also see more images/erasures from this series in Up the Staircase Quarterly (also published this year).

Hope, an Emily Dickinson Erasure Poem by Koss on coarse burlap background in black and white.
Hope, an Emily Dickinson Erasure Poem by Koss

Sinister Wisdom Poems

·

I am happy to get two poems in Sinister Wisdom, a lesbian poetry journal that has existed for decades. This issue was mostly dedicated to disabled writers and curated, but two of my poems were picked up by the editor. One is about my great-great-grandmother who died in Eloise, an asylum in Wayne County. Her life was a mystery, and I didn’t have a lot to piece together. I have a photo of her with a four-digit number which I believe is the number on her gravestone. Around 7000 residents were buried there with simple markers (only numbers). Some of the poem is historical, and some of it’s conjecture. I will post the text soon.

The other poem was written in a Statue of Liberty writing workshop held by The Jewish Historical Society in NY and taught by Lynn Melnick. Lynn read a poem Emma Lazarus’s (writer of inscription on the Statue of LIberty), which was clearly a love poem to a woman. I imagined an “outing” with Emma which appears below.

Many more publications coming this summer, so stay tuned.

square graphic with poem text: Emma Lazarus's Outing, a poem by Koss in Sinister Wisdom
Emma Lazarus’s Outing, a poem by Koss in Sinister Wisdom

Bending Genres | Brady Bunch Poem

·

I’m so honored to have another poem published on Bending Genres. This one is about the Brady Bunch, and, oh, how the grass can be greener. I wrote this when I was 25. It was rejected plenty, but I recently sent it out and got lucky. Also, see my page about Toby and Lady, a Zuihitsu piece, and “Not on the Railroad Tracks.” They published another poem last year about grief and clothes. I’m so fortunate to have had my work embraced by the wonderful Bending Genres community. Writing, submitting, and getting rejected continually can be wearing and even demoralizing, so I am so very grateful for the handful of journals (including Bending Genres) who have supported my work, and, at times, me during COVID and all of the other difficult circumstances I have survived in recent years.

poetry photo with raw hamburger and orange text--poem by Koss in Bending Genres--Dinner at the Brady's

Dinner at the Brady’s, a poem by Koss in Bending Genres

scissors & spackle poetry

·

Very happy to have two experimental pieces in scissors & spackle, a sort of experimental/punk literary journal. “Love Song for a Friend” is a grief list poem and “gratitudes” is also lists that became something readworthy (hopefully). The friend in “Love Song” is Kim who left the world too soon. I also wrote about her in the piece, “Kim,” published in Cincinnati Review, which eventually made it to The Best Small Fictions 2020 anthology. I’m glad to have immortalized her a bit on this plane. The circumstances of her death were never made clear. It may have been suicide. No funeral. No ritual. But writing.

motorcycle boots on pink with poem title for "love song for a friend"
“Love Song for a Friend,” a poem by Koss in scissors & spackle
gold and gray photo of peonies with an aunt and text for poem, "gratitudes"
“Gratitudes,” a poem by Koss in scissors & spackle

Alien Buddha – Publication

·

I’m very behind in blog posts but was happy to have three poems published in Alien Buddha at the end of January 2022. These are pieces from my manuscript, One for Sorrow, and address domestic violence, one, queers and the church–a tough sell for the lit world–so very grateful for the publication. Alien Buddha publishes a large format journal and books on a regular basis. Find this issue of Alien Buddha on Amazon. I will likely add the poems (or parts of them) at a later date.

Alien Buddha Zine #35 cover with names of contributors
Alien Buddha Zine #35

Moist Poetry Journal | Poem by Koss

·

This is nearly a month late, but I’ve been struggling with a photo I bought of Harold’s hearse (from the movie Harold and Maude) and finally finished it today. Was pleased to get accepted into Moist Poetry Journal, a queerish journal and feminist space started by Han Vanderhart. This particular sequence of poems was guest edited by Jennifer Funk. Check out my poem or ALL of the wonderful poems on the Moist Poetry site. Moist Poetry publishes a single (or sometimes double) poem three times a week.

Holy Jesus-Free Bingo Hall, a poem by Koss in Moist Poetry Journal

Let’s Connect on Social!