Mazurka

"Mazurka, Katieann Vogel's radiant, debut chapbook, more than lives up to its name. These are musically rich, imagistically strong, visually inventive poems that dance across the page and linger long in the ear and mind of the reader. Encompassing the self and the world, in all their multitudes, Vogel never shies from difficult subjects while remaining hopeful, open, and full of heart" (Shara McCallum, author of No Ruined Stone). Deep in the forest-among bears, foxes, deer, and soaring pines-a striking melody beats to river and drum. In the shadow of the Krkonoše Mountains, this song and dance multiplies in triple time: Mazurka is born. The mazurka, a Polish waltz, is a beloved dance of Czech generations past and present that originated centuries ago under the Krkonoše Mountains, or Giant Mountains, straddling the present-day border of Czechia and Poland. Between continents, generations, languages, and cultures, the poems of Mazurka honor this music and dance of the Bohemian people, the natural worlds that inspire them, and the strong women-from antiquity to the present and into the future-that dare to face their pain and endeavor to transform it.

Katieann Vogel is a writer, artist, and outdoor educator. Born in Puerto Rico and raised in California and Minnesota, Katieann's written work is influenced by the natural world, honoring the cultures, lands and waters that raised her, offering the reader a chance to leave their world behind, and step into the universe of the outdoor artist. Katieann is Director for Otter House Arts in Monterey, California. She is a graduate of Tufts University (BA, History of the Sea), and of Pacific University's MFA program in Creative Writing (Ocean Poetry), where she was a Katherine Dunn Scholar. Katieann lives with her partner on the Monterey Peninsula, where they enjoy fishing and hiking in the mountains and along the coast.