October 12, 2011 — – Dear Future Boyfriend, Hot Teen Slut, Working Class Represent and Oh, Terrible Youth Reviewed in PANK Magazine

Cristin first four books of poetry — “Dear Future Boyfriend,” “Hot Teen Slut,” “Working Class Represent” and “Oh, Terrible Youth” — (recently reissued by Write Bloody Publishing) snagged a fantastic review on the PANK magazine blog. Review Alicia Kennedy wrote that Cristin “wins you over by being conversational and funny, earnest and accessible. She can turn a phrase that knocks you out, but for the most part it’s like you’re hanging out with someone especially articulate.” Of Dear Future Boyfriend, she wrote, “is filled with love poems, alternately heartsick desperate and self-aware desperate.” Of Hot Teen Slut, she wrote “covers the adjustment to a full-time job, how weird it is when that job is looking at porn when you’re a virgin, and being a feminist who looks at porn all day. It’s quite a bit of material to work with, and Aptowicz molds it into something much more cohesive than Boyfriend.” Of Oh, Terrible Youth, she wrote, “painfully recognizable adolescent moments, told with her characteristic humor.” And of Working Class Represent, she wrote, “is the strongest. Unlike Slut, it’s not focused on one job but is about the general struggle to make it through the days and convince yourself everything’s okay when you have no safety net to fall on.” To read the full review, please click here.

October 7, 2011 — – Working Class Represent Reviewed in Small Press Reviews

Cristin’s recently reissued third book of poetry, Working Class Represent (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011), recently received a wonderful review by Marc Schuster on the online lit blog Small Press Reviews. Schuster wrote, “From tragedies both global and personal, Aptowicz expertly milks equal amounts of pathos, humor, and self-awareness. What’s more, there’s a story in this collection, a subtle narrative about priorities, about anxiety, about the myriad performances we put on throughout the day. And, ultimately, about finding one’s place in the world.” To read the full review, please click here.

October 3, 2011 — – Dear Future Boyfriend, Hot Teen Slut, Working Class Represent and Oh, Terrible Youth Reviewed in decomP magazinE

Cristin first four books of poetry — “Dear Future Boyfriend,” “Hot Teen Slut,” “Working Class Represent” and “Oh, Terrible Youth” — (recently reissued by Write Bloody Publishing) enjoyed a glowing omni-bus review in the October 2011 issue of decomP magazinE. Review Spencer Dew wrote generously of each book. Of Dear Future Boyfriend, he wrote “Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz makes hard seem too easy, like life itself just squeezes out of the toothpaste tube in the shape of a poem, like poems fall out, ready-made, from between the pages of old National Geographics the way maps used to and maybe still do.” Of Hot Teen Slut, he wrote “That this collection of pieces around work in pornography can be so heartwarming, not just funny and not just smart, is itself a victory; poetry wins in this book, and readers will find themselves cheering it on.” Of Oh, Terrible Youth, he wrote, “the narrator of these poems reinvents her world, over and over. The reliving of childhood pleasure is, of course, a new experience, categorically different from the original living with all its stress and unknowing.” And of Working Class Represent, he wrote, that the book is “chock full of tiny, tangy confections, and while you might read a review, like this one and think, ‘Really? A poem about writing a poem on the subway?’ you sure don’t know the recipe, or you would write books like this for yourself, because they are that good.” To read the full review, please click here.

September 16, 2011 — – Cristin’s book, Dear Future Boyfriend, Reviewed in Small Press Reviews

Cristin’s recently reissued debut book of poetry, Dear Future Boyfriend (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011), recently snagged a sweet write up by Marc Schuster on the online lit blog Small Press Reviews. Schuster wrote, “Anyone who’s ever been young and in love will find something to enjoy in Dear Future Boyfriend. What’s more, fans of Cristin O’Keefe Apotwicz will enjoy bearing witness to the initial stirrings of wit and sharp observation that mark her later work. Overall, a fun and at times moving read…” To read the full review, please click here.

August 1, 2011 — – Cristin’s book, Hot Teen Slut, Reviewed in The Legendary

Cristin’s recently reissued second book of poetry, Hot Teen Slut (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011), recently snagged a glowing review in the latest issue of the online lit journal, The Legendary. Reviewer Elizabeth McClellan wrote, “How do I love this book? Let me count the ways. My first read was hurried, gulping, excited—the way falling in love with a poetry collection usually is. My read for this review was more slow, thoughtful, sensual. My love affair with this book is going quite nicely. I should have listened to my friends when they told me this book was right for me, giggling when I said “sass,” telling me to hurry up and just read it…” To read the full review, please click here.

July 23, 2011 — – Cristin’s Work Spotlighted in Radius

The Performance Poetry / Slam Poetry focused lit journal, Radius, has a reoccurring column where they ask poets to spotlight a (older) poet who inspired them and a (younger) poet whom they find inspiring. Cristin is thrilled to have her work spotlighted by Providence Slammaster, Megan Thoma, who writes, “Everything I love about Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s work is what I love about Cristin herself. Her poetry is earnest, funny, rooted in her experiences, and aching to make a connection with you on the most honest and genuine level. Cristin is a champion for poets, slam poets, women, the working class, and underdogs everywhere. Most important, Cristin is a champion for joy…” To read the full column, which include a new poem by Cristin, please click here.

June 3, 2011 — – Cristin’s Hot Teen Slut Reviewed in Small Press Reviews

Cristin’s book Hot Teen Slut received a wonder review from Marc Schuster at Small Press Reviews. In it, he calls Hot Teen Slut “a great collection of poetry — a memoir in verse chronicling poet Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s brief career in the adult entertainment industry” which is “insightful, frequently funny, always intelligent.” To read the full review, click here.

May 15, 2011 — – Cristin’s Hot Teen Slut Reviewed in Used Furniture Review

Cristin’s book Hot Teen Slut received an incredible review at the lit journal Used Furniture Review. In his lengthy (1,000+ word) review, reviewer Chris Vola wrote that, “Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz’s second collection of poems, Hot Teen Slut, offers an honest and prescient glimpse of a side of the adult industry rarely seen or considered, the desk jobs behind the smut and the motley and surprising souls that fill them. It’s a young woman’s struggle to create the art that sustains her spirit and to stay true to her personal philosophy while working in a field that contradicts all of it. And, most importantly, it’s some of the funniest (read: raunchiest) poetry I’ve read since Letters to Wendy’s.” To read the full review, click here.

April 27, 2011 — – Cristin Interviews on the NEA Podcast

Cristin is deeply honored to be the subject of the April 27, 2011 edition of Art Works National Endowment of the Arts podcast. Art Works describes Cristin as “something of a legend in NYC’s slam poetry scene. She is lively, thoughtful, and approachable looking to engage the audience with her work and deeply committed to the community that art in general and slam poetry in particular can create.” To listen to the full podcast (or read the transcription), click here.

April 15, 2011 — – Cristin’s Chicago Tour Receives Local Press

Cristin’s tour through Chicago received some advanced press & recommendations in local publications Time Out Chicago (where her Quimbys show was listed as a Critic’s Pick) and Chicago Now, which includes an audio link to one of Cristin’s poems.

April 13, 2011 — – Oh, Terrible Youth reviewed by What To Wear During An Orange Alert

Cristin is grateful for the sweet review that the (recently re-issued edition of) Oh, Terrible Youth (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011) received in the Chicago-based lit blog, What To Wear During An Orange Alert. Reviewer (and fellow 80s kid) Jason Behrends writes, “Cristin conveys a full story by weaving together poems that will touch both the heart and the funny bone of any outsider. Whether it is through the hand-me-downs, the poor planned Halloween costumes, the awkward encounters with boys, or the feeling you just don’t belong in your own family; there is something to relate to in this collection.” To read the full review, click here.

April 2, 2011 — – Oh, Terrible Youth reviewed by Small Press Reviews

Cristin was humbled by the generous review that the (recently re-issued edition of) Oh, Terrible Youth (Write Bloody Publishing, 2011) received in Small Press Reviews. Reviewer (and fellow Philadelphia native) Marc Schuster writes, “While the poems in Oh, Terrible Youth are largely about childhood, they’re also poems that only an adult could write. Throughout the collection, Aptowicz manages to strike a balance between the raw uncertainty of adolescence and the (relative) self-assurance of maturity. We laugh with her as she recalls the kinds of things that kept us all up at night as we muddled through our teenage years, yet we also smile with compassion for the children we were — trying to make sense of the universe, trying to make sense of ourselves, trying to convince everyone that we did, in fact, have it all together when, at the end of the day, we knew for sure that we didn’t.” To read the full review, click here.

January 17, 2011 — – Cristin’s TEDxPhilly talk spotlighted in Andrew Sullivan’s blog in The Atlantic
Cristin was surprised to be see an excerpt of the TEDxPhilly talk she gave November 2010 spotlighted in popular political blogger, Andew Sullivan’s blog this morning. The excerpt chosen included an extended quote from Thomas Dent Mutter (the subject of Cristin’s forthcoming non-fiction book) which remains powerful and relevant some 154 years after he spoke it. To the blog including the quote, click here.

January 14, 2011 — – Cristin Written Up in Worcester News Telegram
In his article about Cristin in the Worcester News Telegram, writer Richard Duckett wrote, “[Cristin]’s certainly famous in slam poetry circles, having co-founded the NYC-Urbana Reading Series, whose teams have captured the National Championship title three times. To some people, the more traditional National Endowment of the Arts might seem like a different sort of world. Not necessarily to Aptowicz. She was recently awarded a 2011 NEA Fellowship in Poetry. The award did come as something as a surprise to the 32-year-old Philadelphia native. ‘It was a real shock. It was a huge shock,’ she said. Still, Aptowicz said she has felt that ‘people from, shall we say, nontraditional poetry, we’re guilty of holding ourselves back from these opportunities.’” To read more of this article, please click here.

January 10, 2011 — – Cristin’s TEDxTalk Showcased in Poetry Foundation Blog
Cristin is honored and thrilled that Harriet the Poetry Foundation blog is showcasing her TEDxPhilly talk given November 2010. The entry begins, “Cristin O’Keefe Aptowicz talks at TEDxPhilly about “how you can turn nerdy obsessions into things that can transform your life,” but not without working for it. Aptowicz spent eight years working in a cubicle (the same cubicle) and writing, publishing, and touring on the side before making the decision that she was going to live the life of the writer she thought of herself as.” To read more, click here.