Raegen Pietrucha

Raegen Pietrucha writes, edits, and consults creatively and professionally. Her poetry chapbook, An Animal I Can't Name, won the 2015 Two of Cups Press competition; her debut poetry collection, Head of a Gorgon, is forthcoming with Vegetarian Alcoholic Press in 2022; and she has a memoir in progress. She received her MFA from Bowling Green State University, where she was an assistant editor for Mid-American Review. Her work has been published in Cimarron Review, Puerto del Sol, and other journals. Connect with her at raegenmp.wordpress.com and on Twitter @freeradicalrp.

Early Life
Born in the Midwest, moved to the Southwest as a teen. "Technically not sure if I ever grew up, though," she writes.

Writing Philosophy
Pietrucha says, "All my writing thus far has been a product of a deeply personal urgency. I am not a prolific writer, nor do I aspire to be; I just want to share what I believe to be essential—nothing more, nothing less."

Goals & Inspirations
When asked about her goals, Pietrucha writes,"'Writing, for me, is the place I go when I’ve had a trajectory-altering experience and there’s something about it I feel I must find the language for in order to transmit it or what I learned from it to others, in the hopes it may help them along in their journey. It’s important to me to give voice to what has remained unstated or understated (whether by choice or by force) in the realm of women’s experience, probably because finding a woman brave enough to say what I was feeling but had never said myself was one of my earliest and most profound experiences with poetry (I’m referencing Louise Gluck’s “Mock Orange” here, in case anyone’s curious). My deepest hope is that my work reaches survivors of all genders and reminds them that not only are they not alone, but they may someday be able to transform the tragic into some form of healing, activism, or both.'"When asked about what inspires her to write, she says,"'Again, I return to urgency, that sense that something needs to be said and perhaps I’m the person who can say it the way it needs to be said to resonate with a particular someone who needs to hear it. I like to think of art as a sort of invisible telephone wire connecting a mind that’s learned something with a mind seeking an answer, mainly because that’s what art’s been for me.'"

Publications

 * Chapbook: An Animal I Can't Name (Two of Cups Press)
 * Poetry Collection: Head of a Gorgon (Vegetarian Alcoholic Press, forthcoming 2022)
 * Cimarron Review
 * Clackamas Literary Review
 * Cold Mountain Review
 * Monday Night
 * Naugatuck River Review
 * Paper Nautilus
 * Puerto del Sol
 * Sakura Review

Website
raegenmp.wordpress.com