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Fractions in a Spectrum: An Interview on Collaborature
Back in September, I sat down with poet and editor Melissa Lemay for an interview on her site, Collaborature. Somehow I completely missed when the piece went live—and we can chalk that up to juggling a few too many projects at once, or my own scatterbrained nature, or… whatever—but that one’s definitely on me. Melissa did send me the link, and Continue reading
Austin writers, Collaborature, contemporary poets, coping mechanisms, creative process, independent publishing, Jeff Tweedy, Melissa Lemay, poet interview, poetry community, poetry interview, political poetry, Record of Dissent, Stoicism, TCS Press, The Chaos Section Poetry Project, What We Hold On To, wilco, writing habits -
The Chaos Section Poetry Project is Open for Submissions: Coping Mechanisms
Submissions Are Open! The Chaos Section Poetry Project is now accepting poems for our next collection. Theme: Coping MechanismsDeadline: Monday, September 15, 2025Publication: Winter 2025 We’re looking for poems about how people endure, adapt, and hold on in turbulent times. Coping can be political or personal, healthy or messy, quiet or loud. Protest, ritual, stress eating, resilience, bad Continue reading
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On Anger in America
Aubrey Phoenix During my step workI was met with a question about anger… Oh, I know anger. I always used to say“I’m not an angry person”Despite the injustices I have suffered. I didn’t let myself feel angerUntil I realized that I had every right to be angry. Until the man I lovedUsed me for sex. Continue reading
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Lioness Books: Rolling Through Austin with Stories That Matter
This morning I swung by my go-to coffee spot, Red Horn Coffee, for a hot Americano and some free Wi-Fi to knock out a little writing. Parked out front was a sleek black trailer with Lioness Books painted on the side. And because I’ve never been able to pass up an indie bookstore, whether it’s on wheels Continue reading
About the Project
This is the poetry wing of The Chaos Section. We don’t publish individual poems on a regular basis. Our main focus is putting together two chapbooks each year. In 2025 we released Record of Dissent: Poems of Protest in an Authoritarian Age as our summer collection, and we’re preparing a winter holiday release on coping mechanisms (title still to come).
All chapbooks are published free to read on the site and as a free high-quality digital download, alongside a print edition.
We’re open to all styles—free verse, formal, experimental. What matters to us is voice and craft. If a poem feels honest and well-made, we want to read it.
Now Available — Record of Dissent
Order your copy direct from the printer.
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The Chaos Section Poetry Project 