So, you have a new book out. Congratulations! Now for the hard part. Who do you share the news with, and what are your options for celebration? Let’s start with a given: Some form of marketing and promotion is going to fall to you. Publishers can only do […]
Recently I was asked the themes of my third collection of poems, Call Me Yes, forthcoming from The Word Works in October 2026. I launched into a description of the book: it traces the breakdown of my long first marriage, the terror and excitement of dating again as […]
Where my head’s at on reaching this landmark: six questions answered In December, it’ll be 20 years since I first performed a poem on stage. Last week, I submitted my début (adult) collection for typesetting. This is where my head’s at. There are six key questions I’ll address […]
–originally published as “THE GENEROUS ACT OF PUBLISHING DRAFTS: Letting Poems Exist as Iterations” in Cleaver Magazine Most of the poems in my debut book, Certain Shelter, appeared first in journals—and in almost every case, the book version of a poem differs from the original. Often the edits are […]
This lyric-hybrid essay was one of two finalists for the 2026 Dogwood Literary Prize, now out in Dogwood, a journal of poetry and prose, Volume 25. The essay combines poetry, writing practice, and memoir building. Bridger will be featured at the upcoming Grand Mesa Writers’ Symposium along with Craig Childs, […]
It’s very hard to write about something you don’t fully understand. I did not know the term agoraphobia until years after my first episode at eleven years old. I found it inside of an old psychology textbook. Specifically, agoraphobia with panic disorder. Panic attacks often come with the […]
I often recall Mrs. Grumalski, my 7th grade home ec teacher, when I contemplate the necessity of writing and all art. Mrs. G was a holy roller of the rolling pin, a prophet of the gospel of homemade bread. Her devout fervor for home economics was leavened by a […]
If you’re getting ready to send out a poetry manuscript, this post gives you a solid place to start. I walk through how to research presses, what to pay attention to beyond the guidelines, and the kinds of questions that help you understand whether a publisher is truly […]
In March 2025, I read the poem “To Sew a Freedom Suit” by Danielle Legros Georges in The New Yorker. Georges had passed away the previous month. At the time, I’d been in the US for 3 years after relocating from Malta (Europe). I’d viewed the US as […]
In 2025, I returned to submissions after several years away, during which I published a book and had a daughter. I’d drop my daughter off at daycare, go to a cafe about a block away, and amp myself up with caffeine while I tried to bang out five […]
