Staff Pick
This collection is probably one of the most beautiful yet heartbreaking poetry collections I’ve had the pleasure of reading. From the very first poem, Gatwood begins to question what it really means and how it feels to be a girl, never holding back or shying away from the scariness or sadness of the truth. Far too often in this world, being a girl is about your body — how it looks, how it feels, and what you’re willing to do with it. Gatwood clearly and artistically shows that, similarly, it is far too often scary to be a girl despite the fact that women are frequently told their fear is irrational. Recommended By Aster A., Powells.com
To the girls who walk the dark with their keys Wolverined between their fingers, who hover uneasily between fear and anger and desire, who crave the panopticon of the male gaze as strongly as they resent it: Life of the Party is the book for you. Describing the collection as true crime poetry, Olivia Gatwood uses the form to deconstruct female experience through acts of violence, both external and internal. Most interestingly, she explores the degree of bodily autonomy we hold — how much control do we really have? It's visceral, dark, and jarringly beautiful, so familiar I couldn't believe this was my first time reading her words. Sure to prompt introspection and conversation, this is a book whose scope far exceeds its page count. Recommended By Lauren P., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
A dazzling debut collection of raw and explosive poems about growing up in a sexist, sensationalized world, from a thrilling new feminist voice.
i'm a good girl, bad girl, dream girl, sad girl
girl next door sunbathing in the driveway
i wanna be them all at once, i wanna be
all the girls I've ever loved
— Excerpt of "Girl," from Life of the Party by Olivia Gatwood
Lauded for the power of her writing and having attracted an online fan base of millions for her extraordinary spoken-word performances, Olivia Gatwood now weaves together her own coming-of-age with an investigation into our culture's romanticization of violence against women. At times blistering and riotous, at times soulful and exuberant, Life of the Party explores the boundary between what is real and what is imagined in a life saturated with fear. Gatwood asks, How does a girl grow into a woman in a world racked by violence? Where is the line between perpetrator and victim? In precise, searing language, she illustrates how what happens to our bodies can make us who we are.
Review
"I love Olivia Gatwood's voice, her spirit, her genius way of turning and turning and turning a poem until it shines. These poems are a light. I'd follow this book anywhere. I'd trust it with my life." — Carrie Fountain, author of Burn Lake
Review
"Gatwood's poems invite a contemporary understanding of sexuality and the feminine form, feminism and inclusion, intersection and advocacy. Her metaphors and images are both breath and being. This book is an offering to the silenced, for firepower and reflection. A haystack of hallelujahs resides in these pages." — Mahogany L. Browne, author of Black Girl Magic
Review
"I cannot remember reading a collection of poems in one sitting before, but I dove through Gatwood's in one evening — and then came up for air and dove again." — Lauren Berry, author of The Lifting Dress
About the Author
Olivia Gatwood has received national recognition for her poetry, writing workshops, and work as an educator in sexual assault prevention and recovery. She is the author of the poetry chapbook New American Best Friend, and her poems have appeared in such publications as Muzzle, Winter Tangerine, Poetry City, Tinderbox Poetry Journal, and The Missouri Review. As a finalist at Brave New Voices, Women of the World Poetry Slam, and the National Poetry Slam, Gatwood has been featured on HBO, HuffPost, MTV, VH1, and the BBC, among other media outlets. She is a full-time touring artist, and has performed at more than two hundred schools and universities worldwide.