Self-Published

Austin-based poet Ebony Stewart has won national Slam Poetry competitions and gained a reputation as one of the city’s best performers through her plays and spoken word.[1] Many Slam and spoken-word performers don’t publish because their poems are meant to be experienced. But Stewart is truly a poet no matter the medium, telling The Austin Chronicle “I slam because I’m good at it. I write poetry because I have to.”[2]

That was in reference to her full-length book of poetry Love Letters to Balled Fists (published by Austin-based Timber Mouse Publishing in 2013). Rather than follow her first collection with another full-length book with a publisher, she released this self-published chapbook, The Queen’s Glory & The Pussy’s Box. Its striking, cheeky cover, which is bright pink marked with an outline of uterus adorned with a royal crown, tells you that this will be an exploration of the embodied experiences of Black womanhood: menstruation, sex, and abortion at the intersection of race and identity.

Local writers, especially underrepresented performance-based poets like Stewart, depend on this fluidity between local small press publishing and self-publishing to represent their current work. Self-publishing chapbooks is an easy, accessible way for poets distribute their work, especially at readings. For a poet like Stewart who tours nationally, the self-published chapbook is vital—the “emerging poet’s business card”[3] for their growing audience.

Notes

[1] “The Official Site of Ebony Stewart.” Accessed February 19, 2020. http://www.ebpoetry.com/.
[2] Gentry, Amy. “Ebony Stewart Kisses Fear on the Mouth.” The Austin Chronicle, February 27, 2013. https://www.austinchronicle.com/daily/books/2013-02-27/ebony-stewart-kisses-fear-on-the-mouth/. Find it at the UT Libraries.
[3] Woodcock, Diana Gwen. “The Poetry Chapbook: Blessing or Curse?” International Journal of the Book 8, no. 3 (2011), 31.\