Emily Bedard’s poems are full of wild, vivid, and unusual imagery: Her disappointing moments in life gather in one room, each visible in its own horrible failure; she gives advice to younger girls about dating, sex, and love; God takes her car for a joyride and enjoys the experience.

2015 Writers Program Curator Kevin Craft asks Emily about her manuscript, Cargo, the title relating to both human trafficking at the Seattle Port and the invisible individual experiences we all carry with us throughout life. Both agree that her poems are full of “the everyday surreal.”

Music by St. Helens String Quartet, produced as part of the Jack Straw Artist Support Program.