Man Kills Girlfriend Over Cold Sandwiches and Other Sad Tales

This debut collection spans over twenty years of life-inventory, trying to figure out what women will do and where-from restaurants, marriage and parenting to dieting, divorcing and dating. These poems are distinctly delivered by a young, female voice which hungers for opportunity and understanding to be seen and heard in environments often dominated and run by men. Readers will witness difficult moments associated with failing marriage and disordered eating but will also discover a sense of resilience on the other side, as there are often strands of wit woven through the ache of loss and self-discovery. From butterscotch moonlit streets in rural California to a tiny bar in Sarasota, Florida from Omaha, Nebraska to the Tahoe National Forest in La Porte, California readers will better understand what drives a woman's longing to persist.

About the Author
Johnson, Michelle A.: - As an only child and a military brat, michelle spent a lot of time alone with the radio and stories. She would often imagine she was a backup singer for the Beatles, Elvis and later the Commodores and Earth, Wind and Fire. When she wasn't singing with the band or moving to a new base, she developed a love of creating her own stories and journaling like Anne Frank (she lived near Amsterdam, the Netherlands during her middle school years). In high school, her English teacher said she would give Erma Bombeck a run for her money. In her senior year, her poem Gemstone was selected as the cover poem for the creative writing class's literary journal. With plans to be the first in her family to go to college, she attempted a year at the University of Nebraska, Omaha, and discovered restaurant work and parties to be far more educational. More so, she wanted out of Nebraska's weather, and so she married young and back into the military life. She never let go of being the first one in her family to go to college, so as a divorced, single mom, she started attending the local community college as a business major. With life-altering encouragement from California poet, Catherine Fraga, she switched from business to poetry, transferred to California State University, Sacramento and completed a Masters in Poetry under Sacramento Poet Laureate Dennis Schmitz. Over the past twenty years, many of the poems featured in Man Kills Girlfriend over Cold Sandwiches and Other Sad Tales were published in local literary magazines, like Suisun Valley Review and Sierra Journal. Many Are Making Love won the California State University, Sacramento Bazanella Award. Upon completing her Masters in Poetry, michelle joined the adjunct freeway fliers club and began teaching writing and literature for Los Rios Community College District, Yuba Community College and Sierra Community College until being hired full-time with Sierra College in 2004. During her tenure at Sierra College, she has been responsible for producing the first California community college production of Eve Ensler's The Vagina Monologues, which raised money to support women surviving domestic abuse. She has been the faculty advisor for Sierra College's Sierra Journal literary publication. She has organized poetry readings and writing workshops celebrating and supporting Love Your Body, Social Justice, Pride Week, and Returning Veterans. Michelle is also the mother of two incredible human beings and five rescue kitties. She is a committed fan of Dave Matthews Band, Indigenous ways of knowing and she is still dedicated to figuring out how to be a better version of herself every day.