Red Emma’s

Cornue and Morton’s poetry ruminates on the human condition and its relationship to mortality, love, and sexual prowess, from the perspective of powerful, queer poets in a patriarchal world.

With references to Charles Baudelaire, FRANKENSTIEN _and VALLEY OF THE DOLLS,_ FORBIDDEN FLOWERS is an active dreamscape of literary and cinematic fantasies. Yet Cornue and Morton’s theater interacts with late stage capitalism, punctuated with world weary humor and American ennui. These poems are just a step away from death’s cliff, but always willing to risk another turn at the roulette wheel.

Spleen, a poetry collective of desire, was founded by Carmen Cornue and Donna Morton in 2015. Their debut chapbook, FORBIDDEN FLOWERS, ruminates on the human condition and its relationship to mortality, love, and sexual prowess, from the perspective of powerful, queer poets in a patriarchal world.

Carmen Cornue (she/her) resides in San Francisco and her work is deeply indebted to French poetry, international arthouse films and classic American cinema. Her poetry has appeared in Southword, The Atlanta Review, Apricity Press and other publications. She holds positions as a poetry reader with the Los Angeles Review and judge with NYC Midnight. Find more info on her at: carmencornue.com

Donna Morton (she/they) writes poetry inspired by filmic landscapes, morbid literary cues, and the lifestyles of meandering flâneur and cloistered nun. Morton’s poetry has been published in Southword, The Shoutflower and Fauxmoir Lit Mag, among others. Donna writes under several pen names and also wrote a Mad Lib horror story based on experiences in spooky, swampy Pennsylvania.

nat raum (b. 1996) is a queer disabled artist and writer based on unceded Piscataway land in Baltimore. They have a BFA from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and are an MFA candidate at the University of Baltimore. They are also the editor-in-chief of fifth wheel press and the author of you stupid slut, the abyss is staring back, random access memory, and several chapbooks and photography publications. Find them online: natraum.com/links

Kayla Renee (she/her) is a queer writer and MFA candidate at the University of Baltimore. When she’s not writing, she enjoys watching anime or playing Sims while listening to Rina Sawayama on repeat.