Carol Krause is a poet whose uncontainable mind often disrupts her plans. Sometimes this results in joy. She is grateful for all those who have sat with her in the darkness. Carol has accompanied many people through the struggles and delights of life as a facilitator, supporter, and friend. She was a peer supporter to those who experienced alternative realities and psychosis, and she has offered trainings on being present with people through such experiences. In her twenties, Carol went to law school to pursue disability advocacy. Though it has been a source of grief to have had to step back due to disability, her current task is to practice the art of receiving care. And Carol is learning that her care can be offered in many ways. She hopes her writing can benefit those who struggle, which is all of us some of the time.
Carol has slipped into dark places many times. She used to use words like decline. Now she prefers to use words like descent. While she can struggle to navigate the ordinary, her sensitivity comes in handy for writing poetry. Carol’s poetry invites readers into hidden worlds that may be more familiar than they first seem. A lover of the underworld, Carol feels most alive crawling through caves. While each adventure feels new, caves have ignited something in her that feels very old. This brings her close to death and renewal, inviting her to return to flesh and bone.
Carol’s poetry has appeared in PRISM international, The Fiddlehead, Augur, CAROUSEL, filling Station, and Arc Poetry, among many other publications. Her creative nonfiction has appeared in Ars Medica, carte blanche, The /tƐmz/ Review, and Room Magazine. Her poem “This Poem is a Story About What Goes On in My Brain” was nominated for Best of the Net. Her poem “Inside, Outside” was nominated for Best New Poets and Best of the Net; it appears in Best Small Fictions, and was featured in the All Lit Up Campaign. Carol’s poem “The Choreography of Passing” was mentioned as a Notable Poem of 2019 in Best Canadian Poetry 2020. Her debut poetry collection, A Bouquet of Glass, is published by Guernica Editions and is available for order here!
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Carol Krause 