These Words I Shaped for You

Megan Merchant lives in the tall pines of Prescott, AZ with her husband and two children, and three dogs. She was a collegiate swimmer and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree in International Creative Writing from UNLV. When she is not playing with her children outdoors, hiking, drinking too much coffee, or avoiding the laundry—she can be found writing in her fully restored 1963 Travel-Eze Trailer named Zelda. She is the author of three full-length poetry collections with Glass Lyre Press: Gravel Ghosts (2016), The Dark’s Humming (2015 Lyrebird Award Winner, 2017), Grief Flowers (2018), four chapbooks, and a children’s book, These Words I Shaped for You (Philomel Books). Her latest book, Before the Fevered Snow, came into the world in April 2020 with Stillhouse Press. She was awarded the 2016-2017 COG Literary Award, judged by Juan Felipe Herrera, the 2018 Beullah Rose Poetry Prize, and most recently, second place in the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry. She is an Editor at Pirene’s Fountain and The Comstock Review. You can find her work at meganmerchant.wix.com/poet.

Basak Agaoglu (www.basakagaoglu.com) was born and raised in Adana, Turkey, before moving to New York to pursue a degree at the Fashion Institute of Technology. After graduating, Basak began her career as a designer in the fashion industry while also working on illustrations for a children’s book. She is the creator of The Almost Impossible Thing. She currently lives and works in Brooklyn, NY. Follow Basak on Twitter and Instagram @BasakAgaoglu.