These Strange Bodies

by Court Ludwick

Court Ludwick’s These Strange Bodies is an intimate account of two tumultuous years and a clarifying dissection of how the female body exists in public and social spaces that are rooted in gendered and sexual violence. Composed of essays, prose poems, and the occasional experiment, this memoir-in-fragments navigates sexual assault, a mother’s arrest, a panic disorder diagnosis, a breakup, a stream of new lovers, a flirtation with stimulant drugs, and the ups and downs of trying to let it all go. As the collection grapples with memory’s fragmentary nature, past and present collide on the page. And as Ludwick charts the difficulty of filling in the gaps, threads blending cultural critique, human anatomy, poetry, and personal narrative expose the strange acts historically forced on bodies, the estrangement one can experience from their body, and the strangeness that is felt when trying to find a way through all this chaos, through all this strange.

152 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2024

Reviews

[Riah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really amazing debut collection that is sensitive, heartbreaking, and also funny. It's a view into a very specific window of the author's life where they are trying to determine their place in the world apart from their family and their trauma. Even though this is a journey that's specific to the author, I found it relatable, and the experimental forms are really cool---I'm looking forward to seeing the what Ludwick does next!

[Taylor Franson-Thiel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love love love and double love. Full review coming soon ❤️