{"product_id":"vega-chris-decay","title":"Vega, Chris \u0026 Bouchard-Roberts, Conner: Decay","description":"\u003cp\u003eBlue Cactus Press, paperback\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublication Date: July 1, 2022\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublisher Marketing:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDecay is a collaborative poetry collection by Conner Bouchard-Roberts of Winter Texts and Chris Vega of Blue Cactus Press. In this expanded third edition, their poems intertwine so seamlessly that individual authorship fades, leaving readers to experience the work as a single, fluid voice.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOriginally conceived in 2020 amid intimate personal upheaval and artistic camaraderie, Decay emerges from a shared history of poetic exchange, design, and philosophical dialogue between the authors. Vega’s poems trace the unraveling and reshaping of self through early parenthood, gender dysphoria, and societal dissonance, while Bouchard-Roberts’ contributions reflect a distinct yet complementary meditation on impermanence.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWhat binds the work is not uniformity, but a commitment to the truth of change— violent, beautiful, and inevitable. As one identity dissolves, another flickers into being. This is the nature of decay.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWith visual elements that mimic the natural flow of rivers or drifting leaves—designed by Bouchard-Roberts—the collection explores transformation through both form and content. The volume is double the length of earlier editions and includes a closing collaborative text that distills the creative tension and harmony that shaped the book.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Open Books: A Poem Emporium","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45403286896663,"sku":"9775770916622","price":15.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0004\/6497\/7956\/files\/Decay.jpg?v=1786662976","url":"https:\/\/open-books-a-poem-emporium.myshopify.com\/products\/vega-chris-decay","provider":"Open Books: A Poem Emporium","version":"1.0","type":"link"}