DEADNAME
So much of life is made of little deaths and rebirths. We all, at some point in our lives, are forced to leave a life or love behind; we must lose who we thought we were in favor of who we are. Often this ruptures, causing a mess. We don’t do it perfectly. In some stories we’re called the villain, and in others, the victim.
What does it mean to be called something? And what does it mean to choose what you’re called? How do we hold the duality of harm and healing? What does it feel like to step into a reinvention of self, one that may not yet be fully structured? DEADNAME is a collection of poems that shares the coming of age of one trans and queer person in the new millenia, yet it echoes across all identities to show how embracing the liberating and revelatory act of queer love and transition can not only free queer people, but all of us.
You’re going to want to sit down for this, put down whatever else you’re reading and call in sick to work. DEADNAME is a pulsing, vibrant and necessary collection that heralds the vivid, visceral experience of heartbreak, joy, wonder, confusion and hope.
- CIARÁN HODGERS, AUTHOR OF COSMOCARTOGRAPHY
There is something of a cosmic beauty in Abhainn Connolly’s writing. Each poem is an occasion, perfectly weaving the relatable and magical in form, inviting the reader to witness an internal exploration of gender, and delight in a poet’s arrival home in themself.
- Stephanie Ní Thiarnaigh
Connolly's writing is incredibly visceral, erotic, and tender; their poems seem to metabolize themselves, becoming both an undoing and a homecoming. I will be thinking about this book for a long time.
Sierra DeMulder, author of Ephemera
In Connolly’s work, coming of age and coming out as trans do not signal the end, but the ongoing process: This becoming is in turns delicate and tender, then ferocious and all-consuming. This journey will appeal to every person who wishes to be seen and held in all their imperfections.
Demi Anter, author of Small Machine
The poems in DEADNAME stand as provocation and as a celebration of our capacity to transcend definition and societal expectations. This book is a testament to the value of love at its most ramshackle and desperate - poems that work like a clap in the face, or a kick in the heart.
Colm Keegan
