bell lap, by Laura Winberry

Description

Exploring the performative complexities of female embodiment, bell lap is a gorgeous muscular surge of linguistic athleticism and sensory endorphins. Athenian, mud-streaked, and spiked with adrenaline, this smart and sexy poem cycle running the course of a cyclocross race caroms with imagistic verve and chiseled diction through rugged physical, gendered, psychological, and poetic terrains—glistening with sweat-sheened splendor and pure animal joy. —Lee Ann Roripaugh

What a great book bell lap is. It races along and is racy and exhilarating and unapologetic for flinging mud into the air. Laura Winberry is Sappho on a bicycle. —Lisa Jarnot

In bell lap, Laura Winberry takes you on a ride through “the carnival of cyclocross” with her badass girl gang of spandex-clad cycling Eves in tow. These poems whoosh past you at lightning speed, blowing your hair back as you cheer on their unapologetically gutsy & gritty, joyful & vulnerable version of womanhood. —Marisa Crawford

Laura Winberry is a feminist poet, essayist, and visual artist residing in Bend, Oregon. Born and raised in New Jersey, she still pronounces “coffee” and “water” as one might expect. With two other poets, she co-operates The Stay Project, an online space for experiences as they relate to the current POTUS. Laura also races cyclocross domestically and internationally for Speedvagen, a hand-built bicycle company based in Portland, OR. She attended Rutgers University and received her MFA from OSU-Cascades. bell lap is her first book of poetry.