Jennifer MacBain-Stephens

Thanks so much to Amy Strauss Friedman and Joanna Valente for their words! 🙂

Jennifer MacBain-Stephens’ poems in The Messenger is Already Dead hang heavy with history, weaving past and present into a single entity that drips with atmospheric pain felt on a female wavelength. Joan of Arc factors heavily, as our existence is based in part on her struggle and sacrifice. “She blends into the walls,” the author tells us, “she pelts an asterisk/ at the English dictionary.” Here, birthmarks on babies signal stains of the past bleeding into the present. MacBain-Stephens’ collection is an exquisite puzzle formed from time’s continuum, and our resistance to it; a unique perspective on the imperative to listen to the echoes of yesterday.
—Amy Strauss Friedman, author of Gathered Bones are Known to Wander

Jennifer MacBain-Stephens is a master at crafting a storyline through verse. She weaves together pop culture, modernity, and iconic historical figures to comment on gender identity, violence, and the search for the self. I love the conversational language smartly enmeshed in beautiful, strange images. MacBain-Stephens is a writer to follow for the years to come.
—Joanna C. Valente, author of Marys of the Sea

messenger_blurbs_cover

I received physical copies of my book today, “The Messenger is Already Dead,” from Stalking Horse Press. Huge thanks to publisher James Reich. Really psyched to have this book in the world!

I just discovered that The Northern Virginia Review nominated my poem “a sparrow’s death” for a Pushcart Prize. This is my first nomination. I’m so thrilled! Thanks to Ruth Stewart, Nicole Tong, J. Indigo Eriksen, and Jen Daniels.

My poem “Dolls #2″ (After Juliet Cook’s the spindle girls,” (from her chapbook Planchette) ) is up at Rag Queen Periodical.

Here is the cover (with blurbs in place) for The Messenger is Already Dead, coming out in March, 2017. Thanks so much to Editor/Publisher James Reich and Stalking Horse Press. xo.

Here is the first of five poems that will be published at Rag Queen Periodical: “A 1996 Sister Carrie.” Thanks to Kailey Tedesco.

Here is my poem “Melania as Witch” up in the fall issue of Amethyst Arsenic. Lots of great work in this issue including poems by Jenny Sadre-Orafai, Anne Champion, Darren Demaree, and Emma Bolden.

I will be part of this cool online poetry reading this Thursday, November 17 at 6 PM – 7:30 PM PST Next Week pin tinychat.com (URL will be posted before show) as part of Nostrovia poetry! I’ll be reading some Joan of Arc poems because #notmypresident.

Thanks to Amanda Faye at Alyss lit mag for the Best of the Net nomination! You can read all of the nominated work below, including my poem “Warning with emotions up to 40 miles per hour.”

Here is my flash piece “The Heifers” up at Jellyfish Review today. Thanks to Christopher James.

Here is my poem “Drunk Swans #1” up at Gingerbread House today. This poem is inspired by Juliet Cook’s chapbook “Planchette”