The Musings and Ramblings of a 21st Century Romantic, by Ava Lauren Grayson

Poetry, chapbook, 20 pages, from Bottlecap Features. In her riveting, heart-throbbing, and witty debut poetry collection, The Musings and Ramblings of a 21st Century Romantic, Ava Lauren Grayson explores what it’s like being a female 19th century romantic trapped in the year 2025, where love is seemingly doomed, chivalry is dead, jobs are scarce, and heartbreak is normalized. To be a twenty-something in this generation means not knowing where your feelings stand with anyone, where your life will take you, where you best fit in, or how to stay optimistic amongst a pessimistic society. The Musings and Ramblings of a 21st Century Romantic is comprised of the scribblings, musings, ramblings, and unraveling thoughts of a romantic 21st century poet just trying her best to survive everyday life but who can’t seem to navigate her way out of anxiety, fear, spiraling, loneliness, and uncertainty. These poems that deal with modern dating, insecurities, heartbreak, and quarter-life crises were scribbled on scraps of paper amongst busy days, journals in the middle of the night, napkins at restaurants, and Post-Its at work—a raw collection of provocative and authentic reflections from the female gaze. Based in Los Angeles, Ava Lauren Grayson is a romantically whimsical award-winning author, poet, and director focusing on storytelling and filmmaking from a female perspective. Grayson graduated from ArtCenter College of Design’s Undergraduate Film program with Distinction and has had four stories published by Havok Publishing, was published in the Crowns: A Heartbrooks Anthology by Quill and Flame Publishing House in December 2023, the Once Upon a Valentine’s Anthology from Azala Press in February 2024, the Creatures, Crowns, and Curses Anthology from Quill and Flame Publishing House in October 2024, and the Unconventional Love Anthology from Dragon Bone Publishing in June 2025. Grayson recently signed a two-book deal with Quill and Flame Publishing House for her debut YA space fantasy duology, coming out in 2026/2027. If she’s not writing or directing, you can probably find her rewatching Pride and Prejudice (2005 version duh), getting a tattoo, or feeding her cat. :3