VANTABLACK (Digital)

What is VANTABLACK? Ciona Rouse’s first collection of poems — and Third Man Books’ debut title in the publisher’s new chapbook series (think 10” EP as a music analogy). The chapbook is Rouse’s quiet music played within the language of her poems, waiting to scream; the music of place, race, sexuality, home, growing up, being grown; everything in the life of a word. Ciona Rouse is a staple in Nashville’s literary scene (you may remember her from our joint event at OZ Arts for International Women’s Day) and we could not be more proud to have her as our pioneer chapbook author. Rouse’s debut poetry collection features 17 poems that are thought-provoking: shaking and waking readers, unafraid to dive into the deep and dark encompassed by the word “Vantablack.” These limited edition (only 350 made) chapbooks include a special audio flexi-disc postcard of Rouse reading her powerful poem, “On the Sidewalk of Troy, TN, 1904.” Author:   Ciona Rouse Ciona Rouse is a poet and author of Vantablack ( Third Man Books, 2017). Rouse is poetry editor of the literary journal Wordpeace and cohost of the Re/Verb podcast from Third Man Books. Her work can be found in Native Magazine, Gabby Journal, Matter: a journal of political poetry and commentary and Talking River. In addition to curating many poetry experiences and workshops in Nashville, she also collaborates with various artists to create multi-disciplinary performances, including the show The Longest Night with saxophonist Jeff Coffin and composer Jason Shelton at Oz Arts, the Blair House Collective with musician and poet Adia Victoria and poet Caroline Randall Williams and Nick Cave: Feat with the visual artist Nick Cave for the Frist Art Museum, which was a performance at the Schermmerhorn Symphony Center in 2018, which was recognized as the year’s best poetry performance in the Nashville Scene.