NEW RELEASE: OUR WOLVES
Chapbook Published by ALIEN BUDDHA PRESS
For many years, I explored fairy tales, such as Little Red Riding Hood stories from around the world, and taught them in my children’s literature class. Traditional literature, like folk and fairy tales, was one of my favorite topics of the course. I was particularly fascinated with the French and German (Perrault and Grimm) versions of Red Riding Hood and decided to address the subject in a poetic way.
I am happy to announce my newest poetry chapbook, Our Wolves (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). Our Wolves looks at the identity of wolves in our everyday lives and the varied ways of viewing the wolf. For example, this character cannot be seen as merely bad or even redeemed or misunderstood, as in some interpretations of the fairy tale. Similarly, “Little Red” is not simply a victim or a representation of innocence. Instead, this collection reveals the tale as a conduit for many voices and interpretations of gender, identity, and feminism.
Read what others have said about the collection:
Poet Luanne Castle navigates the timeless story of “Little Red Riding Hood” in a compelling collection of sharp, memorable poetry. Our Wolves will haunt you long after you’ve returned from its woods.
—Christine Butterworth-McDermott, author of The Spellbook of Fruit & Flowers
Castle’s wolves are not the wolves skulking in our imaginations. Her poems challenge our senses, bounce from view to view, shifting their focal points. Grandmothers and red-coat-wearing girls may or may not bear guilt. Indeed, Granny may be the Wolf. Or the Wolf may be a father, pulling down panties to slap bare skin. These poems don’t let go, no matter how you scratch; they’re unsettling, magical. Relentless. Unforgettable.
—Robert Okaji, author of Buddha’s Not Talking
“Perhaps you were wrong.” In these imaginative and evocative poems, expectations are subverted, and flat, centuries-old characters are brought to life in both amusing and startling ways. These poems invite us to confront what we take for granted and then let loose our own inner wolf to bite in and savor them all–one well-crafted word at a time. —Kimberly K. Williams, author of Sometimes a Woman and Still Lives
New Publications in Literary Journals
Poem-a-Week at Sims Library of Poetry
Daily poem at Autumn Sky Poetry Daily
2 poems at The Book of Matches (pages 6 and 39)
Interviews in Literary Journals related to Rooted and Winged
Gingerbread House Lit Mag –Poem & Interview with Luanne
CutBank Literary Magazine – Millicent Borges Accardi Interviews Luanne
Interviews related to Our Wolves
Book Reviews of Our Wolves
Anthony Avina’s Blog – Book Review
The Book Lover’s Boudoir review
Blog Tour Interviews and Guest Posts related to Rooted and Winged:
Review Tales – Interview with Luanne
Reviews of Rooted and Winged
Harbor Review has published a review by Carla McGill of Rooted and Winged. You can find it here: Harbor Review: Rooted and Winged Review by Carla McGill
Anti-Heroin Chic has published a review by Elizabeth Gauffreau of Rooted and Winged. You can find it here: http://heroinchic.weebly.com/blog/luanne-castles-rooted-and-winged-reviewed-by-elizabeth-gauffreau
By Carol Bachofner: https://carolbach.substack.com/p/books-that-say-something-we-need?utm_source=facebook&sd=pf&fbclid=IwAR14BDVHsEnnFldy_xIVPNUKNOt0lV658jNbwn_264sDHCAEVxV9Ud3TOdk
By Merril D. Smith: https://merrildsmith.org/2023/01/22/review-rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle/
By Sheila Morris: https://iwillcallit.com/2022/10/02/rooted-and-winged-poems-by-luanne-castle/
By Jade Nicole Beals: https://jadenicolebeals.com/2022/10/08/rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle-standing-so-your-familiar-setting-takes-flight-with-you/
By Serena Agusto-Cox: https://savvyverseandwit.com/2022/10/rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle.html
By Marie Bailey: (blog currently unavailable–available on Goodreads and Amazon) https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5077505345?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1
By Elaine Pinkerton: https://elainepinkerton.wordpress.com/2022/12/12/reading-the-nights-away/
By Suanne Schafer: https://suanneschaferauthor.com/book-review-rooted-and-winged/?fbclid=IwAR2K6epSMSA7_chlE9zi1thKCWZvt9A9kOu43ZquC4VBQsBtqNDAFyGliaM
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I am happy to announce the debut of my newest poetry collection Rooted and Winged (Finishing Line Press, 2022).
The poems of Luanne Castle’s Rooted and Winged are embedded in land and weather. “Bluegills snap up larvae in slivers of illusory light,” she writes early in the collection, hinting at the sensibilities of the companionable speaker who will usher us through the book.
—Diane Seuss (2022, Pulitzer for poetry)
Rooted and Winged is a fitting title for this collection of poems that plant themselves in reality but often hint at the surreal.
–Karen Paul Holmes, author of No Such Thing as Distance.
Order here: https://www.finishinglinepress.com/product/rooted-and-winged-by-luanne-castle/