“Blue Sky Love, I Sing You Happy” plays with ideas about love letters by Roland Barthes, articulated in his book A Lover’s Discourse.

“Ode To Melodrama” refers to and references songs from Lorde’s album Melodrama.

“For Anyone That Knew Me Intimately In 2017” has italicized lyrics from “26” by Paramore.

“My Grandmother Stands At The End Of The Driveway, 2011” was deeply inspired by Lyd Havens’s poem “My Grandmother, In Maine At Dawn” in their book Chokecherry.

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I’d like to thank Michelle and the Central Avenue team for believing in me and the work that I do. To hold a book of my poems has been a dream for as long as I’ve been a dreamer, and you made that possible for me.

Many of the poems in this book were born and refined in creative writing workshops. Some of these include a wonderful poetry course with Karen Mac Cormack taken at the University at Buffalo, the 2018 “Catalyze Self-Revolution” Poets House workshop run by Winter Tangerine, and the Slumber Party Retreat hosted by Sabrina Benaim and Clementine von Radics. I’m incredibly grateful to all of these instructors and the folks in these courses for holding space for me.

Trista Mateer, I wouldn’t be the poet that I am if it weren’t for you. Thank you for your advice and guidance. For being honest when I ask you how to make a poem better. For introducing me to so many incredible people. For listening to my voice memos even when they get long and rambly (which they often do). Etc.

Thank you to the poets I’ve written casually with, via Zoom and otherwise, in the past couple of years. When there weren’t any workshops or retreats being offered, you provided that for me in brilliant technicolor. You know who you are.

Paul — thank you for everything. Absolutely everything I could possibly thank a person for. I love you.

&, of course, Dolly. I hope you don’t mind being on the cover of this book. I miss you in the strangest places.

About the Author

Caitlin Conlon is a poet and avid reader who lives in upstate New York. She has a BA in English and a Creative Writing Certificate from the University at Buffalo and, while there, was chosen for the Friends of the University Libraries Undergraduate Poetry Prize, and the Arthur Axlerod Memorial Prize for Poetry. Caitlin has previously been published via Up The Staircase Quarterly and Rust + Moth, among others. The Surrender Theory is her first collection of poetry.

You can find her online almost anywhere at @cgcpoems.

Central Avenue Publishing is a home for fiction and poetry about us at our worst – and best.

We are proud to have had many of our titles on bestseller lists, go viral, win respected awards, endorsed by literary heroes and celebrities, and enjoyed by readers all over the world.