The poems in Mik Grantham’s debut collection, HARDCORE, are deceptively simple, darkly funny, and as unforgettable as a nagging toothache. Grantham confronts grief in myriad forms; the loss of innocence coincides with the loss of a tooth; a relationship decays and is uprooted alongside ruminative dog walks and soul-crushing waitressing shifts. It is Mik Grantham’s refusal to wallow in the dour, her embrace of the grotesque and the unfortunate situations served up to her by life, that allow the underlying love and hope in these poems to shine through.

 

“A poet with a rising star, Mik Grantham is a master of the mundane. In her subtle, observant, and luscious prose she reminds you of the truths you’ve been avoiding, exposes your obsessions, and seduces your hidden, gross self. HARDCORE conjures the magic in the ordinary through a voice that is distinctly its own.” 

-Halle Hill author of Good Women forthcoming with Hub City Press

 

"Mik Grantham is a real killer. One of my favorite artists working today. HARDCORE is not hard to read" - Bud Smith, author of Teenager (Vintage) 

"It's hard not to fall in love with Mik Grantham while reading HARDCORE. Hilarious and sharp, these poems feel like hanging out with a cool, weird girl who you’re really hoping will become your new best friend. This is the best kind of poetry: intimate, and able to capture the tiny, painful, beautiful things in life without a drop of pretension. A fun bonus to her talent: Mik is also really hot." - Juliet Escoria, author of Juliet the Maniac

 

 

one hit wonder

i am the

shitty song

with the name

you can’t remember

playing forever

on loop

stuck stuck stuck

in your head