GOLDEN AX, the debut poetry collection by Pushcart Prize-nominated poet Rio Cortez, received a beautiful rave in the July/August print issue of Essence. The review reads: “Cortez examines how her family came to the American West after Reconstruction — and reimagines the landscape through the lens of Black people who both embody and defy its realities. In the process, we are pushed to envision our own futures on the frontier, united by a collective aspiration to freedom.” Elsewhere, The Atlantic published a poem from the collection titled “Ars Poetica with Mother and Dog” on July 3. Penguin Books will publish GOLDEN AX on August 30, 2022.