R/B Mertz Publishes Second Book of Poetry!

Sessional lecturer R/B Mertz published their second book over the summer, a collection of poetry entitled CU T. This book is a portrait of survival through speech, politics, celebrity/star gazing, and all forms of popular music. These poems exist in conversation with trans politics/poetics, the author’s conservative Catholic upbringing, anti-imperialist and anti-racist politics, and poets ranging from Sappho to Elizabeth Bishop to Eazy-E, finally culminating in a finale where Mertz rewrites (or translates, or reboots, or “covers”) T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” (with a little help from Cyndi Lauper and Buffy the Vampire Slayer). Mertz is also the recipient of a 2024-2025 individual writers grant from Toronto Arts Council for their novel-in-progress, The Triangle. More info can be found at RBMertz.com.