Performed at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD
“And even though it hurts we’ve got to pour salt water on our wounds.”
Don’t miss this poem from Selena Rose, performing at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD
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It’s Publication Day for The Rent Eats First!
Grab a copy of Eric Sirota’s collection.
We have limited SIGNED copies still available!
ABOUT THE BOOK
With a captivating blend of serious urgency and sarcastic wit, The Rent EATS First moves through personal stories and cultural moments to develop a broad picture of systemic inequality. Sirota interweaves his personal experiences as a public interest lawyer, representing low income tenants, with biting critique on the broader social and governmental systems that breed disparities. This collection reminds us that the political is emotional as Sirota shares personal struggles with mental health, self-image, and relationships in the face of social crisis.
Through dynamic and poignant form, Sirota conveys the chaos of an ineffectual, discriminatory system. An earnest look at the difficulties of fighting a system from within, The Rent EATS First is a collection that needs to be read.
PRAISE FOR ERIC
The Rent Eats First is a courthouse diorama with unfettered self-awareness—what if foreclosure comes for more than just the home? We are told “the only difference between a sword and a plowshare is what you’re cutting.” Sirota inhabits several voices, each a blade—where are we aimed, what is aimed at us?
—Junious ‘Jay’ Ward, Composition
In The Rent Eats First, everyone must stand trial. Sins do not discriminate; even god must atone. Sirota balances commentary on housing law and political unrest with comedy. The Rent Eats First is a demonstration against landlords, property value, and the legal system.
—jason b. crawford, Year of the Unicorn Kidz
All rise for The Rent Eats First. Sirota breaks down the language of law and reforges it into a revolutionary manifesto. Satirical and absurd, Sirota’s poems are blades. Every page, he sharpens a new one and hands it to you. If these poems don’t get you psyched to smash capitalism, I don’t know what will.
—Zach Goldberg, I’d Rather Be Destroyed
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Performed at Camp Bar in St. Paul, MN
“”To know what it’s like to be invisible until revealed to be ugly, alien thing””
Don’t miss this poem from Bao Phi, performing at Camp Bar in St. Paul, MN
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Performed at IWPS 2015
“They do it so often they probably wouldn’t be able to recognize a photograph of their own skin, they think it’s far better to be invisible.”
Don’t miss this poem from Rudy Francisco, performing at IWPS 2015
Get Rudy’s book, Excuse Me As I Kiss The Sky.
Performed at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD
“I am control even when I consensually give it away I am a sovereign entity allocating all of this power exactly as I see fit.”
Don’t miss this poem from Cyn, performing at WOWPS 2023 in Baltimore, MD
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Performed at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN
“Ami doesn’t want us to forget that there’s more to life than deadlines, there’s plenty of time to pause, enjoy a slice of ice cream cake.”
Don’t miss this poem from Usman Hameedi, performing at Icehouse in Minneapolis, MN
Get Usman’s book, Staying Right Here.
Performed performing at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY
“Two people in New Orleans fall in love under an oak tree whose branches bend like sorrow”
Don’t miss this poem from Clint Smith, performing performing at The Bell House in Brooklyn, NY
Get Button Poetry’s book, Counting Descent.
Performed at IWPS 2015
“Dear Jake you are the reason I should not go for walks anymore. I keep falling in love with footprints.”
Don’t miss this poem from Patrick Roche, performing at IWPS 2015
Get Patrick’s book, A Socially Acceptable Breakdown.
Congratulations to all of the winning poets who were part of our 2024 Video Contest!
Performed at The 2023 Roxbury Poetry Festival in Boston, MA
“Every tooth I make my way down with extreme precision, every cavity I carve out into the pulp of him”
Don’t miss this poem from Najya Williams, performing at The 2023 Roxbury Poetry Festival in Boston, MA
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