Poetry. Fiction. This is a book of two books of poetry that stand alone, yet are in conversation with each other. There are two front covers, as internally the books are back to back. THE CURTSY FAMILY, by Brielle Brilliant, faces the relationship between violence in physical force and violence in spoken interaction. It explores how family events are observed as they happen, now or in the past, through recollections, hypotheticals, and dialog. Brilliant wonders how a casual habit could be interpreted, or turned into a violent incident or memory through speech, rumor, and accusation. It's tricky being human, especially in this family as it is held accountable for its past, or not. Howie Good reels you in with offhand promises, shows you the window with all the TVs on, then gives you bullets and bones to take home as souvenirs. Looming sideways and a little dangerous, he bumps your shoulder as a stranger but turns out to be a friend. Layered dreams, ordinary phrases, and overheard words rub together, generating sparks. In Good's book of prose poems, humor and truth tunnel through trauma and death, and ultimately, life wins.

Author Biography

Brielle Brilliant is a self-authorized investigator who writes, films, and prank calls. Her first novel, THE SPUD, will be published in 2018 with Featherproof Books. Howie Good, a journalism professor at SUNY New Paltz, is also the author of six poetry collections including Dangerous Acts Starring Unstable Elements, winner of the 2015 Press Americana Prize for Poetry. He co-edits White Knuckle Press with Dale Wisely.