So much of life is made of little deaths and rebirths. We all, at some point in our lives, are forced to leave a life or love behind; we must lose who we thought we were in favor of who we are. Often this ruptures, causing a mess. We don't do it perfectly. In some stories we're called the villain, and in others, the victim.

What does it mean to be called something? And what does it mean to choose what you're called? How do we hold the duality of harm and healing? What does it feel like to step into a reinvention of self, one that may not yet be fully structured?

DEADNAME is a collection of poems that shares the coming of age of one trans and queer person in the new millennia, yet it echoes across all identities to show how embracing the liberating and revelatory act of queer love and transition can not only free queer people, but all of us.