PUBLISHING NEW WOMEN POETS SINCE 1997

January 2022
 
Dear Friends of Perugia Press, 
 
Thank you to each and all who pledged for the power of poetry by donating to our year-end appeal. We are grateful for every gift, and they collectively help us to fulfill our mission of publishing and supporting new women poets, especially as we continue to offer more accessible submission options for the women sending their work to Perugia Press. 
 
We also want to thank everyone who bought Perugia Press books last year. As pledged, we sent 5% of the proceeds from books sold in 2021 to organizations that support the lives and work of BIWOC (Black, Indigenous, and women of color). This year, our donation was again shared between The Audre Lorde Project, the National Black Women’s Justice Institute, and the Hurston/Wright Foundation.
 
We're excited to announce our three chosen orgs for 2022-2023:
 
CAVE CANEM, which is "committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of Black poets."

SPLIT THIS ROCK, which is "calling poets to a greater role in public life and fostering a national network of socially engaged poets."

VOICES FROM INSIDE, a local org to our base in Western MA, which is "helping women who are currently or formerly incarcerated find their voices, return to their communities with success, and become leaders in their communities through creative writing workshops."
 
When you buy our books, it makes a positive impact on our press as well as these organizations. Thanks for sharing in that action.
 
With gratitude,

Rebecca Olander, Editor/Director
& the Perugia Press Board of Directors

Emerging BIWOC Poet Spotlight

January 2022 Poet: Ae Hee Lee

 

Bougainvillea :: Papelillos

Alejandra says she doesn’t believe in discovery,
only in encounters, and that she wants to introduce me
to a bougainvillea bush down the street. She leads us
past white window gates from colonial times
that look like ornate birdcages, and I don’t ask out loud
whether a single dust particle has remained
in place since I left Trujillo years ago. She points, smiling,
Look, the branches of papelillos are over there—hugging
the sky. They are the color of our mornings here, of light
shivering in fog, busy with petals that are not petals but
leaves holding invisible flowers. We don’t stand too close;
we don’t interrupt the rustle of paper chalices
above our heads. We wait, under the latticed shade, stay
still to understand what it means to sway.
 
 

from CONNOTARY (Bull City Press)

To read more about this poet and her work, check out our blog.
 
PERUGIA PRESS
PO Box 60364, Florence, MA  01062
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