"At least 8 people have died at the hands of ICE just this month, including Alex Pretti and Renee Good who were brutally killed in Minneapolis. The people of DC know what it is like to have armed goons roaming the streets accosting and even abducting our friends and neighbors. We have been living under federal occupation for the last six months, and there is no end in sight. Across the country, every day, ICE, Border Patrol and other enforcers of Trump's racist agenda are going into our communities to kidnap our neighbors and sow fear. It is time for us to all stand up together in a nationwide shutdown and say enough is enough!

"The people and small businesses of Minnesota have shown the way for the whole country--to stop ICE's reign of terror, we need to SHUT IT DOWN.

"So, on Friday, January 30, join in a nationwide day of no school, no work and no shopping.

"Solid State Books will be closed tomorrow in support of this national shutdown.

"As much as we hate closing our doors, we believe in standing up for what is right and supporting the rights and safety of our neighbors. So please join us in this nationwide strike if you can, but, above all, deprive the big corporations of their commerce for the day. This Friday, do not shop on Amazon, at big box stores, or buy from the tech companies that sell us out."

Dudley's Bookshop Café will open a second location this spring in the Old Mill District, "bringing the district its first and only independent bookstore while also adding a new retail category to one of Central Oregon's premier shopping and recreation destinations," the bookstore noted (via KTVZ). The 900-square-foot shop will be near the Deschutes River, with its back door facing the river trail.

"The Old Mill District has always been one of the few places in town that makes sense for a small business like ours," said owner Tom Beans. "We rely on people walking by, stopping in, and discovering us. That happens naturally down there."

Dudley's and the Old Mill District have been in conversation for more than two years about this opportunity. Beau Eastes, marketing director at the Old Mill District, said both sides recognized a strong alignment between the district's walkable layout and the foot-driven-traffic Dudley's receives at its Downtown Bend location.

"We've long felt that a bookstore would be a great fit here," he added. "It's a category we don't currently have, and Dudley's will add a different flavor to the district. We're excited to welcome a locally owned business that people naturally want to wander into while they're shopping, walking the river, or spending the day down here."

The expansion has been years in the making for Beans, He purchased the downtown Bend bookstore in 2015, and sees the store's growth as part of a broader cultural shift away from tech: "People are tired of screens. There's a real push-back happening. Analog is back. You see it with books, with vinyl, with people wanting to slow down a little. Supporting local businesses matters to people in this town, and that energy has been huge for independent bookstores."

While still in the planning phase, Dudley's co-owner and manager Amy Rose said she anticipates the satellite store will carry mostly newer books, with a curated selection designed for the smaller footprint. This will allow for more face-outs, rotating feature titles, staff recommendations, and a strong emphasis on Pacific Northwest topics and authors, she added. Dudley's in the Old Mill District will focus almost exclusively on books initially and not feature an espresso bar like its downtown location.

The space itself will reflect the Old Mill District's industrial roots. Beans and Rose plan to reuse reclaimed materials in the buildout, including old brick and scrap metal, as a nod to the site's history. "There's a certain feeling when you walk into a bookstore," Rose said. "That sense of nostalgia, comfort, and curiosity. Our goal is for people to feel that the moment they step inside, whether they planned to stop in or not."

Rough Draft Bar & Books in Kingston, N.Y., is a victim of the recent frigid weather due to burst pipes in the building where it is located. The bookstore posted on Instagram a photo the city's notice prohibiting occupancy or use of the premises, saying: 

"When the vacant building above you apparently has no heat on, and temperatures are dipping below zero, pipes may burst. Who could have predicted that?

"Well it happened today, and now our space needs a lot of work done. We're still gathering information from the Fire Dept., Building Inspector, Central Hudson, etc., but for the time being, we're closed. 

"When we know more, you'll know more. Shout-out to our team for handling the emergency with grace, and to the KFD, who were there right away and helping with the cleanup."

The Book Industry Charitable Foundation has named the seven comic retailers who will receive $1,500 scholarships to the ComicsPRO industry meeting in Glendale, Calif., which will be held February 18-21. Three of the scholarships are going to first-time attendees thanks to the co-owners of Comics Place in Bellingham, Wash. The funds can be used for travel, lodging, and meals, while ComicsPRO will cover the registration fee.

Scholarships were awarded to Sam Bolenbaugh and Miranda Nordell of Dreamers & Make-Believers, Baltimore, Md.; Joey Martinez of Secret Identity Comics, Fresno, Calif.; and Robert Howard of Comicazi, Somerville, Mass. The three additional recipients, all first-time attendees, are Tim Hershey of Comic Zen, Lansdale, Pa.; Todd Rubin of Gorilla Todd Comics, Las Vegas, Nev.; and Michael Nelson, Resistance Comics and Games, Roanoke, Tex.

"We are pleased to continue our support for comic retailers with these scholarships and are grateful to our friends Jeff Figley and Django Bohren for their generous commitment to increase the number of scholarships we could offer," said Binc CEO Pam French. "Their support provided additional opportunities for first-time attendees and we look forward to meeting all the recipients in California."

Cynthia Leutich Smith (photo: Christopher T. Assaf)

Cynthia Leitich Smith is the anthologist of Legendary Frybread Drive-In: Intertribal Stories (Heartdrum), which this week won the 2026 Michael L. Printz Award and the 2026 American Indian Youth Literature Award for Best Young Adult Book, plus the audiobook received an Odyssey Honor. Smith is also an acclaimed author of books for all ages, as well as the author-curator of HarperCollins's Heartdrum imprint. Smith is a citizen of the Muscogee Nation and lives in Denton, Tex. 

Congratulations! How are you feeling?

Thank you! I feel gobsmacked, grateful, and like my creative spirit is full of pop rocks.

Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In has such a cool concept. Was it your idea to base several stories around a business that is not physically attached to any location or time?

The initial challenge was to devise a reason and means for teen characters from tribal nations across the continent to somehow come together. With my prior middle-grade anthology, Ancestor Approved: Intertribal Stories for Kids (Heartdrum), I went with the Dance for Mother Earth Powwow in Ann Arbor, Mich.

For teens, I longed for another inherently Indigenous but fresh setting. When I was young, I spent a lot of time with my many, many cousins running around small towns, including tribal towns, and the local drive-in was the place to be. Granted, there weren't a lot of other options, but who needed them? It struck me how wonderful it would be if--from anywhere--we could access such a place, nothing fancy but steeped in Native vibes.

Did you create aspects of Sandy June's Legendary Frybread Drive-In (like the "legendary grandparents" and the two soda lines) or did all the authors work together to create the shared setting?

I began with what you might call a watercolor vision and then invited everyone to share their ideas. My original thought was that Sandy June's, which used to be called Davy June's...

Backing up: the fictional cast wasn't all that was intergenerational. The authors were, too, and millennial contributors Darcie Little Badger and Byron Graves, steeped in the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, felt that "Davy June's" sounded too much like Davy Jones, as in Davy Jones's locker, which had an ominous connotation entirely opposite to the drive-in. So, Sandy June's became the new name, pulling harder on the summertime vibe.

Those two, along with David A. Robertson, were our geek squad. They suggested the owners of the drive-in would be a group of legendary grandparents. Boom--right off the bat, Kate Hart's character scratched out "grandparent" on the nametag and replaced it with "auntie" instead. I believe it was Jen Ferguson who integrated the competing soda lines.

One of the new voices, Kaua Mahoe Adams, was the last author added to the roster, and she was somewhat tentative about asking to add Hawaiian food to the menu, but I was thrilled. By the time we finished, most of the authors integrated their own traditional and contemporary rez food faves.

We collaboratively built the map of the drive-in and blocked a schedule of what happened when: open mic, midnight movies, a battle of the bands.

What did you say to authors when you invited them to write stories for this collection? What was the pitch?

From my pitch letter:

The concept: Davy June's exists on every rez, in every Native village or tribal town, and in each urban neighborhood with an Indigenous community center (or wellness/health center). It boasts "the world's best fry bread," calls itself "Turtle Island's best kept secret," attracts those who need it most, and has a reputation for drawing guests from across the continent.

Customers may remark that it's "in the middle of nowhere," that they've never noticed the turn-in before, that GPS can't find the place, that it's obscured by a cluster of old-growth trees that seem to blur in the sun or shadows.

No one is surprised when they encounter Indigenous people from elsewhere. For employees and regulars, there's an unsaid understanding about the place, occasionally acknowledged at a slant. 

Everyone said yes immediately. In fact, this was Angeline Boulley's entire response: YES!!!!!!!!!!!!

How did you feel when you started getting their stories in?

Once I had the stories in hand, I began looking for possible pairings and overlaps (based on the themes, timeline, and setting). If I had a mind palace, it would've looked like a TV detective mystery board with strings marking connections in every direction. Then authors were put together in smaller groups to further develop and deepen their scenes from there.

Have you spoken to any teens yet about their experiences with the book? What are you hoping kids take from it?

Certainly. Kaua's novel-in-verse story, "Braving the Storm," and Darcie Little Badger's "Game Night," written in a text-message format, stand out among reader favorites. Beyond that, grief-healing stories make them tear up, like Kaua's and Brian Young's "I Love You, Grandson" and there is popular appeal for anything with a hint of romance, like AJ Eversole's "Hearts Aflutter" and Karina Iceberg's "Look Away."

What do you love most about Legendary Fry Bread Drive-In?

The way it honors the important role of Elders in the lives of teens.

Is there anything else you're working on right now that you'd like to talk about?

My current manuscript in progress is a contemporary YA with elements of suspense and mystery. I can't say too much about it yet except that I'm recommitting to protecting my own writing time.

Is there anything else you'd like to tell Shelf Awareness readers?

My next release comes out this February from Heartdrum. It's a picture book called Here Come the Aunties! with the most adorable illustrations by Aphelandra. (I wonder how many Printz winners have followed up with a picture book.)

Be on the lookout for debut titles from Legendary Frybread Drive-In's new voices, including the picture book A Good Hide by Karina Iceberg, the middle-grade novel Raven, Rising by Christine Hartman Derr, and the YA novel An Expanse of Blue by Kaua Mahoe Adams, all from Heartdrum in 2026. --Siân Gaetano, children's and YA editor, Shelf Awareness

The Collective Book Studio is launching a new imprint called Tiny Torch Books, which will develop and publish children's books for ages 0-8. At the same time, publishing veteran Rebekah Lovato Piatte is joining the company as children's editorial director.  

"Tiny Torch Books represents an exciting next chapter for the Collective Book Studio," said Angela Engel, owner and publisher of the Collective Book Studio. "Our children’s list has grown significantly over the years, earning numerous awards and accolades, and that momentum inspired us to launch an imprint dedicated to expanding our catalog of beautiful books that excite, engage, and inspire young readers. 

"The addition of Rebekah as children's editorial director helps bring this next chapter to life--creating books children genuinely want to read and supporting strong, collaborative partnerships with authors across a wide range of voices."

Tiny Torch Books will debut with its summer 2026 list, with titles that include Little Bee and the Bloom by Carly Kremer and a deluxe reissue of Elisa Kleven's The Paper Princess.

"Tiny Torch Books is about igniting imaginations and creating stories that feel both comforting and inspiring--fostering connection for children and the adults who read with them," said Piatte. "I'm honored to join such a wonderful team of publishing professionals and excited to be able to help shape this new imprint that values authenticity, artistry, and innovation."

Prior to joining the Collective Book Studio, Piatte worked for Klutz Press and Insight Editions. At Insight Editions she developed, launched, and managed the IncrediBuilds imprint. She has also worked as an independent contractor for a variety of clients, including Kiwi Co. and Scholastic.

Bookseller Ellen Mager, longtime owner of Booktenders' Secret Garden Children's Bookstore and Gallery in Doylestown, Pa., died January 28. For more than 35 years, she "was the life force" of the bookshop, her obituary noted, adding that the store provided "quality literature, original art by children's book illustrators, special events, and visits from authors and illustrators. She had a knack for picking the perfect book for each child and an encyclopedic knowledge of children's literature."

Ellen Mager

Mager was active in the Doylestown community, serving on the board of the Business and Community Alliance and the Chamber Women in Business Committee as well as volunteering with schools and nonprofits. Discover Doylestown presented her with a Key to the Borough for her many years of volunteering at its annual reception. 

"Ellen was a staple in our community and an absolute force of good," noted Krisy Elisii, director of marketing, events & schools at the Doylestown & Lahaska Bookshops. "Many of us have fond memories of time spent with her and of time at Booktenders, fostering a love of reading.... Ellen was one of the most knowledgeable children's booksellers and was revered for her knowledge and love of authors." 

Among her many accomplishments, Mager was the inaugural winner of the New Atlantic Independent Booksellers Association's Joe Drabyak Handseller of the Year Award. Accepting the award, she said it "has the added importance of being chosen by your peers, especially knowing how important the art of handselling was to Joe in his relationships with his customers. It's such an honor to be recognized for all your hard work."

When she closed Booktenders in 2019, Mager told the Intelligencer: "I love the books. But I will miss the families most of all. You get to connect with the children and their parents, and they become like family. I've been to birthday parties and graduations of children who came to the store for books. It's those connections with all the familiar faces I'll miss most."

Plans are being made to have a celebration of her life later this spring.

Community Bookstore, Brooklyn, N.Y., hosted the launch for George Saunders's novel Vigil (Random House) at Congregation Beth Elohim. Saunders was in conversation with Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (author of Chain-Gang All-Stars and Friday Black) for the event, which drew more than a thousand people on a cold and snowy evening.

Author Naomi Hirahara (front, holding book) recently took a small group of Southern California booksellers and historic site workers on a walking tour of locations in her upcoming novel, Crown City (Soho Crime), which is set in 1903 Pasadena, Calif. She plans to replicate these walking tours for readers after the historic mystery is released on February 24.

Among the participating booksellers: (from left) Jhoanna Belfer, holding map in front row, owner of Bel Canto Books in Long Beach; Mary Williams (in denim), co-owner and general manager of Skylight Books in Los Angeles; Dan Graham, promotional director of Vroman's in Pasadena; Gilbert Martinez, assistant promotional director of Vroman's; and back row, wearing yellow, Heather Marquez, director of retail operations for the Gamble House Conservancy.

"I want people to be immersed in the world of this novel as well as be introduced to other readers new to them," said Hirahara. "I feel in these times we need to have real experiences that connect us to a common story and other people."

Posted on Instagram by Books of Wonder in New York City: "Dearest gentle reader… On this most auspicious of days of the @bridgertonnetflix Season 4 release, we present a YA reading list guaranteed to stir hearts, raise brows, and earn a nod of approval from Lady Whistledown herself!.... Pray tell--which title would you be caught reading between dances?"

"Finally! Introducing our new shelving cart! #behindthescenes," Merritt Bookstore in Millbrook, N.Y., posted on Instagram.

At Tor Publishing Group:

Anthony Parisi has been promoted to director of marketing.

Jordan Hanley has been promoted to associate director of marketing.

Emily Honer has been promoted to associate marketing manager.

Yvonne Ye has been promoted to associate manager of ad/promo.

Cassian McConnell has been promoted to associate, marketing operations.

Jocelyn Bright has been promoted to publicist.

Sarah Weeks has been promoted to associate publicist.

STARZ has released an official trailer for the eighth and final season of Outlander, which is inspired by Diana Gabaldon's bestselling novels. The time-traveling drama returns on March 6, with new episodes streaming weekly on Fridays, on the STARZ app and all STARZ streaming and on-demand platforms in the U.S. The first seven seasons are available on STARZ platforms.

Outlander stars Caitríona Balfe as Claire Fraser, Sam Heughan (Jamie Fraser), Sophie Skelton (Brianna MacKenzie), Richard Rankin (Roger MacKenzie), John Bell (Young Ian Murray), David Berry (Lord John Grey), Charles Vandervaart (William Ransom), and Izzy Meikle-Small (Rachel Murray). 

STARZ noted that as season eight begins, "Jamie and Claire find the war has followed them home to Fraser's Ridge, now a thriving settlement that has grown and flourished in their absence. With new arrivals and changes made during their years away, the Frasers are confronted with the question of what they are willing to sacrifice for the place they call home and what, more importantly, they would sacrifice to stay together. While the Frasers keep a united front against outside intruders, family secrets finally coming to light threaten to tear them apart from the inside. Although they've left the war for America's freedom behind, their fight for Fraser's Ridge has only just begun."

Produced by Sony Pictures Television, Outlander is exec produced by Matthew B. Roberts, Ronald D. Moore, Maril Davis, Toni Graphia, Luke Schelhaas, Andy Harries, Jim Kohlberg, Caitríona Balfe, and Sam Heughan.

Finalists have been chosen for the Audie Awards, which recognizes "distinction in audiobooks and spoken-word entertainment" and is sponsored by the Audio Publishers Association. Winners will be announced at a celebration on March 2 in New York City. This year's awards include four new categories: adaptation/original work, ensemble performance, new voice, and production & sound design. To see the nominees in all 27 categories, click here.

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Amor Tibon won the £4,000 (about $5,510) Wingate Literary Prize, which honors "the best book, fiction or nonfiction, to convey the idea of Jewishness to the general reader," for The Gates of Gaza, the Bookseller reported. The award is run in association with the Jewish Literary Foundation.

The judges said: "We were thrilled with our shortlist this year, but in the end one book was our unanimous choice. Amir Tibon’s The Gates of Gaza is a remarkable accomplishment. To write about the devastating events in Israel and Palestine with such humanity, such knowledge of history and such balance would be extraordinary under any circumstances; given the author’s situation--he was himself caught up in the attack of 7th October--it is even more stunning. Tibon's style is lucid and compelling, and one could not hope for a better guide to these challenging and painful times."

credit: Hunter Photography

Yah Yah Scholfield's work has been featured in a variety of horror-speculative fiction magazines and anthologies including Death in the Mouth, Peach Pit, Unspeakable Horror 3, and Fiyah Lit. Their short story "Strange Fruit" is an O. Henry Prize winner. Scholfield lives in Atlanta with their family and two cats. You can find their thoughts and personal essays on their Substack, Fluoresensitive. On Sundays, She Picked Flowers (Saga Press, January 27, 2026) is a sinister and surreal Southern gothic where a woman escapes into the uncanny woods of southern Georgia.

Handsell readers your book in 25 words or less:

A Black lesbian fighting generational trauma one violent, loving, and merciful act at a time.

On your nightstand now:

A scarf I purchased at a thrift store, the script books from A24's Moonlight by Barry Jenkins and Hereditary by Ari Aster, a coffee-table book about Black potters in South Carolina, my iPad, and a lamp that no longer works.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I had no business reading that book, but I adored it--there's a certain beauty in reading a book that's too grown for you as a child, and I loved how angry and nauseous the entire Dollanganger series made me feel. For sure, Flowers in the Attic combined with Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark by Alvin Schwartz helped push my prepubescent love for the gothic and uncomfortable.

Your top five authors:

Toni Morrison, because she showed me that a Black woman's pen and voice were powerful and worthy. James Baldwin, because he showed me the complex beauty of being Black and gay and angry in America. Shirley Jackson, for filling me with so much dread and anxiety, the feeling of fear-excitement like a bruise you love to press. N.K. Jemisin, for absolutely blowing my mind with science fiction and fantasy that featured people who looked and acted like me. And last but certainly not least, Ursula K. Le Guin, whose mindfulness and thoughtfulness in writing inspires me daily.

Book you've faked reading:

To be really honest, I haven't faked reading anything. If I do not enjoy something, I will DNF it like that, no hesitation. I just can't fake the funk!

Book you're an evangelist for:

Beloved by Toni Morrison, and it's not even close. It is literary historical fiction, but it's also one of the best gothic horrors ever written. The ambience of this house haunted by slavery, by violence, by Sethe's choices, the way the characters' actions and behaviors all stem from this horrifically traumatic moment in history--and then the ghost! And then Beloved! Oh, I read the book once every two years, and it never gets old.

Book you've bought for the cover:

More Perfect by Temi Oh, and I'm so glad I did. An Orpheus and Eurydice retelling in a dystopian future reminiscent of a tech-obsessed present? Absolutely, yes!

Book you hid from your parents:

Uh-uh, y'all ain't getting me in trouble! Though, really, I didn't have to hide any of my books from my parents, because they were of the belief that as long as I was reading and not acting up, I was golden. A lot of, ahem, mature content slipped by them.

Book that changed your life:

This is a hard one. I don't think you can say one book or another changed your life, because there really are so many that move you at different points in your life. When I was a kid, it was books like Blue Tights by Rita Williams-Garcia and The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, The Skin I'm In by Sharon G. Flake--books that resounded with me and discussed topics that reflected aspects of my day-to-day reality. As an adult, I think the book that's really rattled and twisted me around is Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler. Just that one iconic line "God is Change" really and deeply rearranged the terrain of my brain.

Favorite line from a book:

"No live organism can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more. Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone." --Shirley Jackson, The Haunting of Hill House

Five books you'll never part with:

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, Beloved by Toni Morrison, The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Just Above My Head by James Baldwin, and A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. I read it for the first time ever in 2024, and though I knew it was a classic and very well written, I wasn't prepared for how hard it would hit me. It's a gorgeous, gorgeous gothic science-fiction novel, and I felt such love for the creature, and so much love for Victor. That line, "Alas, he is cold, he cannot answer me" picked me up, swung me around, and I just want to reexperience that ache all over again.

Why horror is your genre of choice:

I was a skittish and very anxious child, and I am a skittish and very anxious adult. I hate to claim this but fear does rule me--I suffer from pure OCD, my brain is a minefield of horrors and worries, and yet with horror, I am free. I am allowed to ruminate on the shadows in my bedroom and in alleys, I am permitted to scream at sudden noises. And, if I choose to be the monster, the thing that goes boo!, then the terror is my own special thing, and I can control it, one story at a time.

Like a miniature autobiography in verse, Julia Alvarez's radiant collection Visitations offers snapshots from her life: a childhood in the Dominican Republic, immigration to 1960s New York City, the vicissitudes of adulthood, and the bittersweetness of later-life love.

In her afterword, Alvarez (The Cemetery of Untold Stories; Afterlife) calls the 26 poems "visitations from selves of the past and present." Her ability to inhabit earlier mindsets and re-create decades-old pivotal moments is astounding. In the Dominican Republic of the 1950s, she recalls, "despite the silencing and censorship of the Trujillo dictatorship, poetry flourished" in oral form. Indeed, the opening poem, "Recitation," commemorates the poet's debut performance "in a pink party dress with a flaring crinoline,/ waiting to entertain my mother's friends/ after their afternoon game of canasta." At that time, Alvarez notes in the afterword, poetry "was political by its very existence," and she imagines that the poet's role then, as now, is to lighten the evening--and perhaps the burden of repression: "I am to make the difference, turn the tide/ on the darkness massing round as the night drops down."

After the family's move to the U.S. in 1960, her world expanded as her father's shrank--brilliantly captured using the metaphors of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, which she reads in "Waiting for My Father to Pick Me Up at the Library." "I'd already gone through that door/ and couldn't go back" versus the "This was the trade-off for coming to America:/ you became as small as the country you came from" that she addresses to her late father, who struggled to learn English. In "American Dreams," confectionery embodies the better future they sought: "all I knew/ was hunger, as I learned the names/ that promised sweeter dreams beyond/ these candied substitutes, Juicy Fruits,/ Life Savers, Bit O-Honey, Good & Plenty."

"First Marriage" presents loneliness, followed by a trip to a mental health clinic in the next poem. Even from afar, her three sisters bolster her--"There is power in groups of women"--and giving a talk at a retirement home unearths fond memories of her late mother. Aging and troubling world events threaten her sangfroid, but unexpected romance ("this spring-surprise/ of love in our autumn years") and the comforts of home ("I Go Through the House, Turning Off Lights") keep her steady.

With its vivid scenes and alliterative phrasing, this gorgeous collection presents food and family, memory and companionship, as talismans to hold against the darkness. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader, and blogger at Bookish Beck

Shelf Talker: Family memory and literary allusion infuse a tender collection about growing up under dictatorship, immigrating to the U.S., and life's stages and sorrows; here, poetry itself is a means of survival.