Amanda Lovelace

Amanda Lovelace is an American poet who was named Goodreads Poet of the Year.[1][2] She is the author of the Women are some kind of magic series, most notably the Goodreads Choice Award-winning The Princess Saves Herself in This One.[3][4]

Amanda Lovelace
Language	English
Nationality	American
Education	BA in English
Alma mater	Kean University
Genre	poetry
Notable works	The Princess Saves Herself in This One The Mermaid’s Voice Returns in This One
Years active	2016-now
Website
amandalovelace.com

Personal life

Lovelace graduated with a BA in English and a minor in sociology from Kean University in May 2017.[5] She identifies as queer.[5]

Works

Lovelace initially self-published the first installment in her women are some kind of magic series, The Princess Saves Herself in This One in 2016, and was ultimately picked up by the American publisher Andrews McMeel, who published the other two volumes as well.[6] The Princess Saves Herself is autobiographical and deals with her experiences growing up.[7]

The third volume, the mermaid’s voice returns in this one was released in 2019,[8] and was listed on American Booksellers Association's "Indie Poetry Bestseller List".[9] the mermaid's voice was less well received than the previous title, and was criticized for feeling stretched out and underwhelming.[10]

According to Lovelace, this series aims "to show the rich inner lives of women with a focus on our hidden everyday struggles."[11] Many of Lovelace's works deal with topics such as sexual abuse, trauma, and healing.[12][13] Although The Witch Doesn’t Burn In This One "speaks so explicitly to our current moment," the volume was actually completed before the revival of the #MeToo movement.[11] Despite that, Lovelace notes that, "Witch is still very much my #MeToo book. It will also not be the last one.”[11] She has listed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Handmaid's Tale as influences.

Author Deborah Harkness praised Lovelace's writing in a 2018 interview with Boston Globe.[14] Lovelace has rejected the label Instapoet, as she originally began posting her work to Tumblr, and only began publishing her work on Instagram after her first works had been published in print.[15] Lovelace views criticism of Instapoets as a form of snobbery, associating the term as a way to set them apart from "real poets."[16]

Lovelace also wrote Things That H(a)unt. The first installment, To Make Monsters Out of Girls, came out in 2018. The text "explores the memory of being in an abusive relationship" and "poses the eternal question: Can you heal once you’ve been marked by a monster".[17]

She contributed to [Dis]-Connected: Poems & Stories of Connection and Otherwise, edited by Michelle Halket.[18]

See also

• Instapoetry

References

1. PHAREL, PHANESIA (December 23, 2016). "An Interview With Goodreads Poet of the Year Amanda Lovelace". Affinity Magazine. Retrieved 2018-04-18.
2. "Instagram threatens to stifle a new generation of poets". www.ft.com. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
3. Griffin, Sakara (April 12, 2018). "Another spin on the princess fairy tale". Santa Fe New Mexican. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
4. "It's time for you to give poetry another chance". Everett, Washington: HeraldNet. April 10, 2018. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
5. says, Robert Newman (2017-04-25). "Spotlight On: Amanda Lovelace". The College Juice. Retrieved 2019-04-09.
6. "Interview with Amanda Lovelace | YARN". Retrieved 2019-04-09.
7. Buckman, Meghan (2017-12-12). "Fairy tale faux: a review of Amanda Lovelace's recent novel". The Oak Leaf. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
8. Eng, Miranda (26 March 2019). ""the mermaid's voice returns in this one" Has No Unique Voice of its Own". www.thecrimson.com. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
9. "The Indie Poetry Bestseller List". the American Booksellers Association. 2019-05-01. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
10. "Amanda Lovelace's 'the mermaid's voice returns in this one' Falls Flat". Study Breaks. 2019-04-03. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
11. Miller, E. Ce. "Your Favorite Insta Poet Just Released A New Collection About Female Anger & It's A Must-Read". Bustle. Retrieved 19 April 2018.
12. "The Poetry of Protest in 'the witch doesn't burn in this one'". Study Breaks. 2019-02-12. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
13. "All the Poetry That's Fit to Print". The New York Times. 2018-04-26. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
14. Sutherland, Amy (20 September 2018). "Deborah Harkness views books as tools, not artifacts". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
15. Epstein, Rachel (2018-05-03). "The Rise of Instagram Poets". Marie Claire. Retrieved 2020-02-17.
16. Leszkiewicz, Anna (8 March 2019). "Generation Poet". New Statesman.
17. "to make monsters out of girls". publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com. Retrieved 2019-03-06.
18. Takács, Bogi (2018-06-02). "BookCon 2018: Social Media Poetry Explosion". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 2020-02-14.

External links

• Official website