I-5: A Novel of Crime, Transport, and Sex

by Summer Brenner

This bleak and brutal novel follows Anya along her journey north from Los Angeles to Oakland on the I-5 interstate that bisects the Central Valley of California. A victim of deep deception; Anya was lied to, and is now kept under lock and key, used by her employer to service men, and indebted for the "privilege." In exchange, she lives in the United States and fantasizes about a future of freedom. A powerful account of sex trafficking, this stirring tale reveals one victim's pain and her attempt to escape it.

186 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 2009

About the author

Summer Brenner was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. She moved north, east, and eventually west, taking up residence in Berkeley where she has been a long-time resident.

Her writing has appeared in dozens of anthologies and literary magazines. Performances of her work include "The Flood," a poem for four voices at Links Hall, Chicago; The Missing Lover, a one-act play, with readings directed by Peter Glazer; and the poetry and musical extravaganza, Arundo (with Summer Brenner, Andy Dinsmoor, Bob Ernst, Hal Hughes, and GP Skratz). She has given scores of readings in the United States, France, and Japan. Grant awards include the California Arts Council, the Creative Work Fund, and in partnership with Community Works, The Christensen Fund and Lesher Foundation.

Currently, she works on literacy projects in Richmond, California. She is author of more than ten books of poetry and fiction.

Anthologies include:
American Poetry Since 1970: Up Late; American Poets Say Good-Bye to the 20th Century; Cradle and All; Deep Down: New Sensual Writing by Women; The Erotic Impulse; Rising Tides: 20th Century Women Poets; The Stiffest of the Corpse; The Unmade Bed; Wreckage of Reason: Anthology of XXperimental Women Writers Writing in the 21st Century, et al.