From the collection, Drive Through the Night.
Shame be damned—own the ruin of yourself. Wear the failure like a vintage coat —torn, tattered heart— you are a worn-out classic, a soul of arcane salt and grit. Outcast, iconoclast, stand fast. Beyond the black and white blah of button-down norm we clash and crash in the candle-lit dusk of conscious dreams and darkest desires I return to the wild, dig my heels in, bare my teeth, and stand this new ground.
L.M. Browning (She/they) is a writer, publisher, and advocate whose work spans over two decades and fourteen titles. They are the founder of Wayfarer Magazine and Wayfarer Books, independent platforms committed to amplifying voices from the margins. Browning’s literary contributions have earned six Pushcart Prize nominations, the Gold Nautilus Medal for Poetry, multiple Foreword Review Book Awards, and the Nautilus Silver Medal in 2022. Their innovative approach to publishing led to two terms on the Board of Directors for the Independent Book Publishers Association, a TEDx talk at Yale University, and a degree from Harvard University through grant programs. In 2022, Browning retired from writing.
