Amanda Lovelace

{{Infobox writer

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1991|11|13}}

| years_active = 2016–present

| notable_works = {{unbulleted list|women are some kind of magic trilogy|be your own fairytale trilogy}}

| spouse = Parker Lee

| awards = {{plainlist |

{{Awards|Goodreads Choice Awards |2016 |the princess saves herself in this one ||Best Poetry}}
{{Awards|Goodreads Choice Awards |2018 |the mermaid’s voice returns in this one ||Best Poetry}}

}}

| occupation = Poet

| language = English

| nationality = American

| website = {{url|https://amandalovelace.com}}

| alma_mater = Kean University (B.A.)

}}

Amanda Lovelace (born November 13, 1991) is an American poet who rose to fame through her poetry posted to Tumblr and Instagram. Her works have feminist themes, often focusing on modern interpretations of traditional tales. She is the author of the women are some kind of magic series, including the Goodreads Choice Award-winning the princess saves herself in this one and women are some kind of magic.{{cite web |url=

http://www.santafenewmexican.com/life/teen/another-spin-on-the-princess-fairy-tale/article_a5f7e4dc-c48a-5249-aafc-34d32d99fb26.html |title= Another spin on the princess fairy tale |first=Sakara |last= Griffin |date= April 12, 2018 |newspaper= Santa Fe New Mexican|publisher= |accessdate=19 April 2018}}{{cite web|url=http://www.heraldnet.com/life/its-time-for-you-to-give-poetry-another-chance/|title=It's time for you to give poetry another chance |author=|date=April 10, 2018|publisher=HeraldNet|location=Everett, Washington |accessdate=19 April 2018}}

Personal life

Lovelace was born on November 13, 1991.{{cite web |last1=Lovelace |first1=Amanda |title=First Sprinkle Of Stardust |url=https://amandalovelace.substack.com/p/first-sprinkle-of-stardust |website=substack.com |access-date=May 1, 2024}} Lovelace graduated with a BA in English and a minor in sociology from Kean University in May 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecollegejuice.com/2017/04/spotlight-amanda-lovelace/|title=Spotlight On: Amanda Lovelace|last=says|first=Robert Newman|date=2017-04-25|website=The College Juice|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-09|archive-date=2019-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190409031357/https://thecollegejuice.com/2017/04/spotlight-amanda-lovelace/|url-status=dead}} In 2017, she also married fellow poet Parker Lee. She is a practicing witch.

Works

Lovelace initially self-published her first work, the princess saves herself in this one, with CreateSpace in 2016, but its success caught the attention of the traditional publishing industry. The collection was ultimately picked up in 2017 by the American publisher Andrews McMeel, who published her subsequent works as well.{{Cite web|url=http://yareview.net/2018/04/interview-with-amanda-lovelace/|title=Interview with Amanda Lovelace |access-date=2019-04-09}} the princess saves herself in this one is autobiographical and deals with her experiences growing up.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theoakleafnews.com/arts-entertainment/2017/12/12/2249445/|title=Fairy tale faux: a review of Amanda Lovelace's recent novel|last=Buckman|first=Meghan|date=2017-12-12|website=The Oak Leaf|access-date=2020-02-17}}

The third volume, the mermaid’s voice returns in this one was released in 2019,{{cite journal |last1=Eng |first1=Miranda |title="the mermaid's voice returns in this one" Has No Unique Voice of its Own |website=www.thecrimson.com |date=26 March 2019 |url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2019/3/26/mermaid-voice-review/ |accessdate=16 February 2020}} and was listed on American Booksellers Association's "Indie Poetry Bestseller List".{{Cite web|url=https://www.bookweb.org/news/indie-poetry-bestseller-list-572120|title=The Indie Poetry Bestseller List|date=2019-05-01|website=the American Booksellers Association|access-date=2020-02-17}} the mermaid's voice returns in this one was less well received than the previous title and was criticized for feeling stretched out and underwhelming.{{Cite web|url=https://studybreaks.com/culture/reads/amanda-lovelaces-the-mermaids-voice-returns-in-this-one-falls-flat/|title=Amanda Lovelace's 'the mermaid's voice returns in this one' Falls Flat|date=2019-04-03|website=Study Breaks|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-17}}

According to Lovelace, this series aims "to show the rich inner lives of women with a focus on our hidden everyday struggles."{{cite web|url=https://www.bustle.com/p/the-witch-doesnt-burn-in-this-one-poet-amanda-lovelace-wants-sexual-assault-survivors-to-know-they-have-permission-to-be-openly-angry-8399427|title=Your Favorite Insta Poet Just Released A New Collection About Female Anger & It's A Must-Read|last=Miller|first=E. Ce|date=|work=Bustle|accessdate=19 April 2018}} Many of Lovelace's works deal with topics such as sexual abuse, trauma, and healing.{{Cite web|url=https://studybreaks.com/culture/reads/witch-doesnt-burn/|title=The Poetry of Protest in 'the witch doesn't burn in this one'|date=2019-02-12|website=Study Breaks|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-17}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/26/us/gender-letter-all-the-poetry-thats-fit-to-print.html|title=All the Poetry That's Fit to Print|date=2018-04-26|work=The New York Times|access-date=2020-02-17|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}} Although the witch doesn’t burn in this one "speaks so explicitly to our current moment," the volume was actually completed before the revival of the #MeToo movement. Despite that, Lovelace notes that, "witch is still very much my #MeToo book. It will also not be the last one.” She has listed Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and The Handmaid's Tale as influences.

Lovelace has rejected the label Instapoet, as she originally began posting her work to Tumblr, and only began publishing her work on Instagram after her first works had been published in print.{{Cite web|url=https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/a20071698/instagram-poets-trend/|title=The Rise of Instagram Poets|last=Epstein|first=Rachel|date=2018-05-03|website=Marie Claire|language=en-US|access-date=2020-02-17}} Lovelace views criticism of Instapoets as a form of snobbery, associating the term as a way to set them apart from "real poets."{{cite news |last1=Leszkiewicz |first1=Anna |title=Generation Poet |work=New Statesman |date=8 March 2019}}

Lovelace also wrote Things That H(a)unt duology. The first installment, to make monsters out of girls, came out in 2018. The text "explores the memory of being in an abusive relationship" and "poses the eternal question: Can you heal once you’ve been marked by a monster?"{{Cite web|url=http://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/books/detail?sku=9781449494261|title=to make monsters out of girls|website=publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com|access-date=2019-03-06}}

Bibliography

=women are some kind of magic=

the princess saves herself in this one (2016)
the witch doesn't burn in this one (2018)
the mermaid's voice returns in this one (2019)
slay those dragons: a journal for writing your own story (2019)

=the things that h(a)unt=

to make monsters out of girls (2018)
to drink coffee with a ghost (2019)

=you are your own fairy tale=

break your glass slippers (2020)
shine your icy crown (2021)
unlock your storybook heart (2022)

=Standalone works=

flower crowns and fearsome things (2021)
believe in your own magic: a 45-card oracle deck & guidebook (2020)

=Anthologized works=

[Dis]Connected: Poems & Stories of Connection and Otherwise (2018), edited by Michelle Halket{{Cite web|url=https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/77124-bookcon-2018-social-media-poetry-explosion.html|title=BookCon 2018: Social Media Poetry Explosion|last=Takács|first=Bogi|date=2018-06-02|website=Publishers Weekly|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200110235206/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/industry-news/bea/article/77124-bookcon-2018-social-media-poetry-explosion.html |archive-date=2020-01-10 |access-date=2020-02-14}}
His Hideous Heart: Thirteen of Edgar Allan Poe's Most Unsettling Tales Reimagined (2019), edited by Dahlia Adler
Body Talk: 37 Voices Explore Our Radical Anatomy (2020), edited by Kelly Jensen
Every Body Shines: Sixteen Stories About Living Fabulously Fat (2021), edited by Cassandra Newbould