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by Elinor Ann Walker (Author), Hayley Haugen (Editor)
In poetry and short prose, Fugitive but Gorgeous maps haunted landscapes where American southern and Appalachian cultures both constrain and inspire. Its title takes inspiration from the properties of natural or organic dyes, such as those rendered by plants or berries--vivid in color but "fugitive," prone to fade over time. Female personae are often themselves fugitive, seeking outlets from confining relationships, prescribed roles, and gendered legacies as they redefine their desires. Via art, music, flora, and fauna, surreal portals may open between memory and sorrow, childhood and midlife, presence and absence. Alluding to the author's grief over losing her father as an only child 13 years ago, and her mother in 2024 to cancer, the collection petitions nature and narrative for solace.
