In a scene dominated mostly by male writers, Mira Gonzalez sticks out not only as the voice for women, but as one of the most prominent and promising of any writer associated with alt lit.
Gonzalez, a female poet born in 1992, is notable for her active Twitter account. Curiously, she is also the step-daughter of Chuck Dukowski, a member of the influential punk band Black Flag.
She has been published on the website The Quietus, her own blog and on Tao Lin's Muumuu House.
Gonzalez's poetry collection "I will never be beautiful enough to make us beautiful together" was published in 2013 by independent Brooklyn-based publisher Sorry House.
Each poem is a despairing song of alienation, anxiety and nostalgia. I felt emptiness with each line, but in a calm and relaxed way. It felt like I was getting to know someone I've interacted with, but had never had a chance to have a full conversation.
Her poems touch on themes of loneliness and sex. The two seem to be linked for Gonzalez. Many times she recalls a sexual experience with feelings of disconnect and aloofness.
In her poem, "I feel more lonely when I'm with people than when I'm alone looking at the internet," she talks about her need for isolation and her inability to maintain long relationships. She shows herself as a deeply sensitive person.
"everyone is growing apart from me
i am letting them do that"
In "Induced-Compliance Paradigm," she talks about her need of validation and feelings of apathy.
"i will ruin everything eventually
i hope this makes sense to you"
She has a poem titled "I wrote a novel about you and saved it to my drafts folder."
In my investigation of alt lit, I have learned to trace the thought of the poems and feel the significance of expression more than to treat the craft of the writing.
Gonzalez's writing is dependent on the reader entering her book with an unassuming and clear conscience. She is defining what it means to be a (woman) poet in the 21st century. Instead of intense expressions of emotion she gives mumbles of boredom. She admits her passivity and lets go of powerful resistance. Instead of concealing her drug use and illicit sex, she writes about it with an open and intelligent voice.
These poems were written while Gonzalez still lived in Los Angeles. She briefly relocated to New York City and has now returned to Los Angeles.
Her upcoming publication is the Tao Lin split-book, "Selected Tweets."
Read more about "Selected Tweets," here.
Reach the reporter at lsaether@asu.edu or follow @looooogaaan on Twitter.
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