Crazy / Mad in the Media

I am tremendously grateful for the bits of media interest and promo Crazy / Mad has received so far, and am reveling in it all while it lasts! 

I was on CBC's All in a Day at the end of March, alongside absolutely brilliant writer, poet and literary organizer Amanda Earl, in advance of both our Ottawa VERSefest readings. Host Alan Neal was delightful, as ever, and asked compelling questions about trauma and writing about health and madness. The experience did remind me to always check the news before any interview, no matter how niche you think your topic is, as Alan's question about the Kate Middleton news of the day came as, well, news to me!

I also started April with the honour of being first out of the gate for All Lit Up's There's a Poem for That series for Poetry Month 2024, with my poem "Slippery slope thinking," and answers to some fascinating questions about poetry, writing and reading.

Next up for me are some readings, including at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto Wednesday, May 8, at 6:30 p.m. for the Brockton Writers Series. This week, the Series also featured me on their blog, where I talked about the human connection factor in poetry (and why AI will never actually be a poet).

I am also unendingly grateful to the amazing American author and editor Jerry Wheeler for including Crazy / Mad in Out in Print's Spring Poetry Roundup. I love Jerry's work, and how much he promotes and supports other writers. I also hope some new readers find my own poems via the roundup. Either way, I encourage you to explore and follow Out in Print, as Jerry features great LGBTQIA+ work throughout the year.

Crazy / Mad Making Its Way to Poetry Readers

I am even more proud of my debut full-length poetry book, Crazy / Mad, now that it is in my hands, a tangible object that exists in the world. Author Michael V. Smith blurbed the book with, "Injecting their poems with great care and intimacy, Dolman concocts a wry irony as medicine for a troubled world."

And awe-inspiring poet Natalie Hanna wrote, "Dolman’s terrific Crazy/Mad tears through the geography of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, deconstructing its Malleus Malleficarum, puzzle-piece-approach to mental health and illuminating the in-between spaces no one discusses aloud. Poems pick-apart symptoms and diagnoses around 'madness' the way one carefully knifes apart a sumptuous Sunday brunch in a too-bright, formal room with others watching, while detritus rains from the rafters just outside."

I am grateful for their and others' kind words. 

I expected launching my first poetry book would be hectic, and it has been! Although Crazy / Mad only came out officially today (April 1, no joke), a box arrived to me just over a week ago.

Which meant my beautiful books (thank you so much to publisher Jeremy Luke Hill for the magnificent cover design) landed in Ottawa just barely in time for my March 24 reading at VERSefest. Thank you to everyone who came out for the packed event, hosted by the charming poet and translator Madeleine Stratford. I felt privileged to read alongside Nduka Otiono and Myriam Legault-Beauregard, and I couldn't have asked for a more welcoming crowd.

Visit this blog in the coming weeks and months for more info about my official launch and other events I'll be part of this spring and summer. In the meantime, please ask your local library to order Crazy / Mad, and get yourself a copy via Gordon Hill or your favourite local bookstore!

Crazy / Mad: my first poetry book, out spring 2024!

The start of a new year feels like the perfect time to announce my forthcoming poetry book, Crazy / Mad, will be available in spring 2024 from Gordon Hill Press, and is already available to pre-order. 

I am in love with the cover design and very proud of the contents. I hope you can buy, order, share, recommend or otherwise support the collection. But, above all, I hope you read and get something out of it. 

Huge thanks to my editor Shane Nielson and brilliant publisher and graphic artist Jeremy Luke Hill. I'll post more about launch and reading dates once information becomes available.