LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE 85 pages | Page 8

8 Lucia Perillo Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988, Lucia Perillo, who once had a job killing coyotes at the Denver Wildlife Research Center, approaches her disease and her identity as a “disabled poet” with wit and a serious sense of humor. Or, as Poets & Writers put it, she “stares down multiple sclerosis and laughs in its face.” Also, she has a book of poems called Inseminating the Elephant. We’re not sure quite what that says about her, but we know we like it. Brian Turner Another soldier-poet, Turner served for seven years in the US Army, including serving as an infantry team leader in Iraq beginning in 2003, so it goes without saying that this man is pretty tough. His incredible debut collection about his experiences in Iraq, Here, Bullet, is a stark, unflinching look at wartime and humanity. LE PORTRAIT MAGAZINE Page 8