Letters for Dead Lovers, by Jessica Blandford

Poetry, chapbook, 40 pages, from Bottlecap Features. Letters for Dead Lovers is about the embrace and betrayal of love and represents the known and unknown buried deep within intimate relationships. It is a confrontation of pain and loss so that the path to self recognition can begin. Inspired by events all too common, it offers insight into the darker side of humanity by asking simply, “who do we hurt the ones we love most?” Jessica Blandford’s first collection of poems, Letters for Dead Lovers, evokes a deep philosophical engagement with the interior and exterior landscapes of love and death. These poems highlight the struggles of maintaining identity in often toxic relationships as well as the process of rediscovering self after unexpected loss. Jessica Blandford (she/her/hers) graduated from Queens University of Charlotte North Carolina in May of 2020 with an MFA in fiction and poetry. She was born and raised in the greater Grand Rapids area, where she still lives with her partner and their two dogs. When she isn't writing Jessica can be found riding on her motorcycle or playing soccer with her daughter. Jessica often contributes to the Southern Review of Books and currently teaches English at Grand Rapids Community College as an adjunct professor. Her work is often focused on the modern female perspective and has appeared in Marathon, Honey Fire, and Display Magazine among others.