Artist Statement by Ava Hofmann

These poems imagine themselves as scraps of texts from a medieval grimoire, exploring historical lacunae and illegibility as it pertains to queerness and trans identity. The core of these poems is the editorial ellipsis, the “[…]” which interrupts coherent language and frustrates the desire for complete knowledge (of history, of trans people, of oneself). In this space wherein these totalizing wants are eschewed, it is my hope that other forms of desire can be explored.

Originally from Oxford, Ohio, Ava Hofmann is a writer currently living and working as an MFA student in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She has poems published in or forthcoming from Black Warrior Review, Fence, Anomaly, Best American Experimental Writing 2020, The Fanzine, Datableed, and Peachmag. Her poetry deals with trans/queer identity, Marxism, and the frustrated desire inherent to encounters with the archive. Her twitter is @st_somatic and her nausea-inducing website is www.nothnx.com

Banner Image by Ava Hofmann @st_somatic