"With fierce attention and care, Margo LaPierre chronicles the sharp, shifting edges of gendered violence through the kaleidoscope of psychosis. Holding space for trauma’s echoes and ghosts, Ajar reframes perception—and time itself. These are poems of burrs and blossoms, poisons and salves, starkness and strength. In a sensorial convergence, LaPierre offers an exquisite, needed measure of the world: symphonic, electric, and as ethereal and arresting as a vicious gasp."—Sandra Ridley, author of Vixen

"These poems make me want to strip off my skin and jump from a balcony, wearing come-hither shoes, into an inconvenience store after an overdose on entropy. LaPierre can write the pants off anyone. These poems are smart, sexy, deathly, and—I am in love."—Susan Musgrave, author of Exculpatory Lilies

"Margo LaPierre’s Ajar is an ecstatic punch to the gut. Unflinching, rich, and infinitely gorgeous, this collection offers an exquisite dissection of mental illness, gendered violence, and their many intersections. Through her equally airy, personal, and precise language, LaPierre’s words and worlds resound and provoke. The result is appropriately unsettling: as if the work of Edward Gorey and Bronwen Wallace had word babies—deliriously beautiful and familiarly off-kilter offspring. A must-read." —Hollay Ghadery, author of Fuse

"Ajar follows the time travel of a mind haunted by chemistries of violence and suicidality. LaPierre’s keen lyrical voice creates a palimpsest of overlapping timelines and selves, and methodically crafts an expansive theory of Mad temporality and survival. These poems are rituals for haunting oneself into the future." —Rebecca Salazar, author of antibody

- Pitching to local Ottawa publications, disability/mental health focused publications, feminist/women and queer magazines, poetry publications, and some larger Canadian media. The author is also working with Hollay Ghadery from River Street Writing as her external publicist, who is helping get her book reviewed, arranging interviews and media features, and other publicity opportunities.

The author will be joining Guernica's Toronto and Ottawa launches, and will be doing local readings in Ottawa and elsewhere. She has connections in Ottawa, Toronto, Vancouver, Kingston, Montreal, Halifax, Saskatoon, Montclair (NJ), and NYC. She is hoping to organize a launch tour in major Canadian cities and smaller Ontario cities (Ottawa, Kingston, Toronto, London, Peterborough, Montreal, Halifax, Vancouver) as well as Brooklyn, NY, Ithaca, NY, Montclair, NJ, and virtually. 

The author will appear at the Ottawa Writers Festival on October 14th. We will also be submitting her book to other relevant festivals and awards across Canada.

Guernica will be promoting the collection on all our social media pages as usual.