15 Ways to Stay Alive by Daphne Gottlieb

15 Ways to Stay Alive by Daphne Gottlieb

Broken hearts, scattered dreams, postpunk politics, and postmodern cut-up collages spiral and flow in award-winning poet Daphne Gottlieb's latest collection of startling new works that explore survival after personal or communal disasters and the renewal that follows. Whether she's writing about unanticipated outcomes (After the Midway Ride Collapsed), her mother's passing (Somewhere, Over), or absurd situations (Preoccupation), Gottlieb's deeply personal insights into the complex areas where life and contemporary culture collide offer readers a unique, thought-provoking perspective.

I Have Always Confused Desire with Apocalypse

We met over a small
earthquake. Now, my knees

shake whenever
you come around

and I've noticed your hand
has a slight tremor.

Daphne Gottlieb is the award-winning author of seven books including the critically acclaimed poetry collection Final Girl (Soft Skull Press) and the graphic novel Jokes and the Unconscious (Cleis Press), illustrated by Diane DiMassa. Gottlieb has performed and taught creative writing workshops throughout the United States. She received her MFA from Mills College, and currently resides in San Francisco.

Daphne Gottlieb is the author of ten novels, the most recent of which is Pretty Much Dead, a collection of short stories. Dear Dawn: Aileen Wuornos in Her Own Words, a collection of letters from Death Row sent by the first female serial killer to her childhood best friend, is one of her previous works. She's also the author of five poetry collections, the editor of two anthologies, and the co-creator of the graphic novel Jokes and the Unconscious with artist Diane DiMassa. She's been on the road nonstop, leading solo tours and sharing the stage with Hal Sirowitz, Lydia Lunch, and Maggie Estep. Her poetry, fiction, and essays have featured in more than 50 anthologies, including SXSW, Bumbershoot, and LadyFest Bay Area.

Daphne is a five-time finalist for the Lambda Literary Award and has won the Acker Award for Achievement in the Avant-Garde, the Audre Lorde Award for Poetry, the Firecracker Alternative Book Award, and the Audre Lorde Award for Poetry. She currently resides in San Francisco, where she is regularly seen holding Doomsday Honeymoon, a three-pound toothless humpback chihuahua.