Poetry Book birthday: celebrating publishing after 1 yr
self-publishing my first full length poetry collection and making the best-seller list
we all know words are arrows
we have felt in our hearts
“from wrds”, by Lauren Best
In this week’s episode I celebrate the one-year anniversary of the launch of my first self-published book of poems, Just Leaves. I’ve talked a lot about the journey leading up to the launch of my debut full-length poetry collection, and my appreciation for the support, positive reviews, and receiving reader photos of books in the wild with stories about how readers connected with the poems.
Just Leaves reached #1 on Amazon Hot New releases, and was called “intimate and unflinching” by Rrampt Magazine.
Today, it’s all about the poetry.
Enjoy 3 poems from the audiobook version of Just Leaves in this podcast episode.
You can get the audiobook for yourself, or order your signed copy of Just Leaves by contacting Lauren directly with details about customization.
“I think what Best has so eloquently accomplished with these poems is capturing the all too familiar sound of multiple thoughts moving at once, the voices in our heads that interrupt and speak over each other, interjecting with new ideas and relating them to other experiences.
Throughout seventeen careful, honest, deeply personal poems, Best manages to use charming imagery to expand upon wholesome experiences that are juxtaposed by the jolting feelings of electric shock that accompany the reality checks we’re often faced with… she takes us on a ride that dips between ferocious, raw, larger-than-life, and the sincerity of soft-spoken, honest, relational transparency.”
Marshall Veroni, reviewing Just Leaves in Rrampt Magazine (Issue #11, Winter 2024)
Lauren’s Best is co-produced by Sam Blake and Lauren Best.