Death Roll

Death Roll is a Southern Gothic dreamscape. Uncanny relics of grief decorate each poem's proverbial mantel while a wave of animal emotion gnashes and knocks them all over. Experimental, sonically brilliant, and deeply human, Edwards’ poems are the very spectacle in question. Listen closely to Gator Girl as she lovingly guides you through the grotesque muck of motherhood, loss, and pop culture. Tune in, in every sense of the phrase. This is a collection you won’t want to miss.”- Kailey Tedesco, author of MOTHERDEVIL

Death Roll is a swampy, surreal song that asks readers to listen with their whole bodies as these poems shimmer with sonic experimentation, wild invention, & deep emotional resonance that thrums just below the surface. This collection is guided by an unusual relic of grief: a doll crowned with the taxidermized head of a baby alligator. Through the voice of Gator Girl, the poems explore themes of motherhood, loss, desire, & the mythologies we build to survive them.

Death Roll is a Southern Gothic, fevered lyric where origin stories have teeth, memory refuses to be still, & the line between human & creature blurs until vanishing entirely. Slip into its waters. Follow its song.

By Trista Edwards.