Dogwitch, by Catherine Rockwood

Poetry, chapbook, 28 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

Dogwitch explores mood disorder, neurodiversity, and the vulnerable work of trying to show up for others while managing an unruly psyche. It does so in part via affective encounters with a dangerous rescue dog.

The varied poetic forms and styles in the chapbook are linked by the idea of the witch and her familiar, who share an intense bond that can operate for both good and ill.

“Tenderness, anger, intensity: Catherine Rockwood’s poems howl, growl, and show their soft bellies to teach us ‘how to love a fearsome high-ribbed creature / running after trust that flees her.’ This punchy, demanding exploration of the relationship between human and dog (or witch and familiar) is also an examination of very human feelings of trauma and love.”

—Rachel Trousdale

Catherine Rockwood (she/they) lives in Massachusetts, which is a mixed bag for someone interested in witches: but then, where isn’t? A former early modernist, they are a Pushcart Prize nominee and winner of the Der-Hovanessian Prize awarded by the New England Poetry Club. Catherine has published two previous chapbooks of poetry, both available from The Ethel Zine Press. You can find more of her work at www.catherinerockwood.com/about