“They Invite the Audience to be a Part of Them”: An Interview With Colleen Louise Barry

Colleen Louise Barry

Colleen Louise Barry is a Seattle-based artist and poet whose latest project COLLEEN is more glittering web than stereotypical poetry book. Published by After Hours Editions, a small press run by Eric Amling and Sarah Jean Grimm–who for the last several years have consistently put out gorgeous cult poetry books–the book’s cover draws you in with its coy retro rodeo font. And COLLEEN’S charms don’t stop there. Barry’s expansive practice involves inviting other artists to work in response to her poems, which take self-representation, celebrity culture, and self-actualization as their themes. We discussed the book’s aesthetics and evolution over Google Docs in the winter of 2022.

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