the hot glue gun chronicles: a guide to putting the pieces together

The Hot Glue Gun Chronicles is a winner of the 2023 Philosophy Media Group Publishing Competiton and the debut manuscript from poet & scholar Ashley Crooks-Allen. This collection of poetry explores themes of identity, healing, and belonging through the lens of an Afro-Latinx Queer identifying poet and scholar.

＂The Hot Glue Gun Chronicles is a flamingassemblage of penetrating verse and poetic musicality. Crooks-Allen’s timely offering, in the tradition of Black queer poets like June Jordan and Pat Parker before them, does not shy away from the straight-up truth. In their words, we might very well locate the keys to our own internal freedom.＂
- Darnell Moore, author of No Ashes in The Fire: Coming of Age Black and Free in America

＂What an honor it has been to cultivate this manuscript and elevate the voice of Dr. Ashley Crooks-Allen. I published this book because I believe in its mission- to put together the broken and to create beauty from unexpected pieces. Ashley invites us to revisit subjects we may have fooled ourselves into thinking we’d moved on from- gently saying ’Aht-aht! There’s more work to do here.’＂
- Kiera ＂Ashlee Haze＂ Nelson, Poet & CEO, Philosophy Media Group & Kiera Ashlee Talent Co