LAUNCH PARTY! The video kickoff for MY AUNT'S ABORTION (available for purchase now!), Jane’s book of poetry and essays from BlazeVOX [books], will be Sunday, Feb. 19, 2023, at 3 pm EST.
The reading could include some guest stars who will introduce their recently-published work, as well as a question-and-answer session with Jane. To attend, please contact Jane through this site, and she will send you the Zoom code. We’ll have more updates soon.
A.W.P. Panel in March: Jane will moderate a panel discussion on writing about abortion at the annual Associated Writers and Writing Programs conference in Seattle, on Saturday, March 11, 12:10 pm, Rooms 440-442, Summit Building, Seattle Convention Center, Level 4. The panel includes former attorney and current journalist-community activist Desiree Cooper; the poet, teacher, editor, and essayist Annie Finch; the poet, award-winning short story writer, and non-fiction author Manisha Sharma; and the critic, poet, and fiction author Alina Stefanescu. To attend the conference, which includes a book fair and is considered the premiere gathering of small press and independent authors in the U.S., consult the AWP's website for more information
Warm reviews: Joe Haward, an award-winning writer in the U.K., says MY AUNT’S ABORTION "takes the reader through an intimate journey of family, loss, confusion, regret, joy, and reflection." He praised the book for its look at childhood through both a children's and an adult's point of view: “for it’s these wonderful moments where sight, taste, and smell are the cauldron of memory." He concludes: "The poems testify to Rosenberg LaForge’s ability to share, not only her story, but the story of many women, many families, each carrying the wounds and scars that relationships (and time) inevitably produce. There is a power in MY AUNT'S ABORTION that will stay with the reader long after the final page." Read the full review here.
In Full House Literary Review, poet and novelist A. R. Salandy says, "LaForge raises important questions about women’s agency and the fear surrounding their actions which likens to some dystopian Handmaid’s Tale-esque creation." He calls the collection "extremely powerful" and encourages everyone to read it. The full review is here:
Poetry award nomination: Jane's poem, "For a Friend Going Deaf," published in the second issue of Minyan Magazine, has been nominated for the Best of the Net and for the Pushcart Prize. The Best of the Net Anthology has been published by Sundress Publications since 2006, and was designed to amplify the voices of writers "who are building an online literary landscape that seeks to break free of traditional publishing." The Pushcart Prize/Best of the Small Presses has been awarded to writers of poetry, short stories, and essays since 1976. The prize is considered one of the most influential projects in American publishing history and is published by one of the last surviving literary co-ops from the 60's and 70's.
Praise for ‘Sisterhood of the Infamous’: Jane's 2021 novel received a stellar review in the most recent, Summer 2022 issue of American Book Review. Written by Diane Goodman, the review calls the novel, published by New Meridian Arts Press, a "literary miracle" and says it is "is full of spectacular complexities that play out in highly original ways." The full review is available in print, but you can read an excerpt. The novel is available for purchase here.
