La Belle Ajar

Sylvia Plath once said, "I want someone to mouth me." La Belle Ajar is a collection of poems inspired by Plath's 1963 novel that reimagines the journey of Esther Greenwood within the empowering odyssey of these 20 scintillating cento poems that honor the voice and legacy of America's most influential modern poet and author: Sylvia Plath. La Belle Ajar was selected in Luna Luna Magazine's 'Top 5 Books to watch out for in 2020' "La Belle Ajar is a beautiful collaboration between the dead and the living, the muse and the inspired, and a reminder to continue the conversations with the poets who came before us; Cepeda finds the magic of Plath and delicately constructs her enchantment, an enlivening book of poems you will return to reread again and again." --Kelli Russell Agodon, Editor at Two Sylvias Press and author of Dialogues with Rising Tides (Copper Canyon Press) "Adrian Ernesto Cepeda's new book La Belle Ajar opens up Sylvia Plath's words and gives them new life, Lovers of Plath and those looking for a book to captivate in the thick honey of self-discovery don't want to miss this release from CLASH Books." --Tianna G. Hansen, Editor-in-Chief of Rhythm & Bones Press "Plath's eternal essence -- her poetry of confessions, rife with details and darknesses -- is woven throughout this La Belle Ajar. The drama, the particulars, and an unlimited glimmering of language oozes in each and every poem. The ghost of Plath seems to be conjured, to find reanimation, in Cepeda's many inspirations. And while Plath is the muse here, of course, the work stands entirely on its own -- unexpected, surreal, and alight. A true tribute, emerging into its own new shape." --Lisa Marie Basile, poet, editor of Luna Luna, and author of The Magical Writing Grimoire "Adrian Ernesto Cepeda's sensual, electric internal rhythms provoke external, communal ones too. And La Belle Ajar is not just an exercise in homage but a choreographed remix, a translation, a correspondence between words and worlds. Cepeda leaves the door open, in pursuit of readerly access and inspiration. This work vibrates." --Chris Campanioni, Editor PANK Magazine and author of The Internet is for Real "Adrian Ernesto Cepeda's LA BELLE AJAR is delightful, thought-provoking, and compelling. The lines are both conversational and fierce, lulling us into submission, and then chilling us to the bone at the same time: "she burst /out, I never said, I'm not/godlike." Cepeda takes Plath, and digs in deep to her life, her struggles, her being, while inhabiting the world as it is now, while conveying the very strangeness of being at all: "I looked empty and subdued, /among the Gillett blades/paper scraps it occurred to/me, I must be idly dead." This book is meant to be read and loved, with all its complexities, much like a human."" --Joanna C. Valente, author of Marys of the Sea, #Survivor, and editor of A Shadow Map: Writing by Survivors of Sexual Assault

Is it over? Are we safe yet? What the hell happened? Or, rather, more aptly: What didn't happen? In 2020, we were deceived and misled. Each day offered a new challenge, revealed some new horror, and there was no relief in being told it was simply the nature of the world, the nature of our society. 2020 was the kind of thing that happens to people in textbooks, except it was happening in real time to all of us. We probably need group therapy to make sense of it all, to address our individual and collective wounds. This book is in pursuit of doing just that: Offer some kind of catharsis to the whole ordeal. “2020 is shaping up to be one of the most garbage years in American history. What statement do you want to make about it?” This was the prompt advanced to writers of the essays in this collection, capturing experiences raw and personal, and attempting to make sense of the extraordinary situation we found ourselves in. Very few walked away unscathed. Such a confluence of issues: COVID, Trump, racism, poverty, health under siege, sexism, police brutality, Black Lives Matter, protests, federal troops occupying American cities and beating on citizens, masks and social distancing, businesses shuttered, entire industries closed, schools moved online, major sports halted, and more. As the effects of 2020 continue rippling, the future already begs to know, “What the hell happened that year?” We hope this collection will clarify, or perhaps at least de-fog a bit. Essays as testimony provide an intimate lens, a snapshot in time. And perhaps a way to make sense of some of the chaos, so we can move forward with fresh eyes. Contributors: Rashaun J. Allen, Jason Arment, Rabb Asad, Joe Austin, DeMisty D. Bellinger, John S. Blake, Shannon Brazil, Tracy Burkholder, Suzanne Burns, Brendan Canty, Adrian Ernesto Cepeda, Stacey Y. Clark, Eve Connell, Zaji Cox, Alex Dang, Leah Noble Davidson, Sean Davis, Chris Dupuy, James Jay Edwards, Brian S. Ellis, Jenny Forrester, Kenning JP García, Lauren Gilmore, Dian Greenwood, Joseph Edwin Haeger, Ally Henny, Jackie Shannon Hollis, Gabino Iglesias, Ashley James, Tim Mays, Wryly T. McCutchen, Travis Laurence Naught, Dang Nguyen, Isobel O'Hare, Florencia Orlandoni, Linda Rand, Skyler Reed, Christine Maul Rice, Kate Ristau, Leyna Rynearson, Liz Scott, Kimberly Sheridan, Corie Skolnick, Amoja Sumler, Ben Tanzer, Nancy Townsley, Chris Valle, Ran Walker, Eric Witchey, Ellen Yaffa, Jason Zenobia

Two totally different women. One summer that will change their lives forever. A dark and humorous suspense story. Isabella makes a living conning wealthy men out of their fortunes. She's been raised to be a cold, heartless, manipulation machine and she does pretty well for herself. Isabella isn't bothered about finding love or starting a family, she prefers to keep things simple by looking out for herself and acting in her own best interests, only. There is one problem though...when Isabella loses her temper from time to time, bad things happen. The kind of bad things that mean somebody goes missing. She normally has her guardian, Vivian, to keep her straight but Isabella's been left to her own devices lately and things are starting to get out of control. We meet Isabella on holiday with her sugardaddy, Albert. She's embroiled in a very niche dilemma: she wants to get rid of him but maintain access to his funds. Should she kill him? Marry him? Rob him? She can't decide, and without Vivian's guidance, her imagination runs wild. Meanwhile, Emma Whitmore is as opposite to Isabella as a person can be. She's Albert's patient and long-suffering wife. She suspects things aren't right with her marriage but is too deeply in love with Albert to think about leaving. What happens when she's confronted with the truth? Will she give up or decide to fight for her family? ✔Includes the prequel short story 'Sugarbabies & Sociopaths'.

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.