JUST ANOTHER EPIC LOVE POEM

Nikki Massoud narrates the first-person story of Iranian American Mitra, who has little expectation of friendships when she enters a Catholic school. But four years later, she and her best friend, Bea, have written 13 books of poetry together and fallen in love. Massoud's narration realizes the vulnerability of a girl full of questions: Can she allow her drug-addicted mother to reenter her life, let go of past pain, protect her sister, permit herself to fully experience and reveal her queer relationship with Bea, and trust herself? Elena Rey delivers fewer sections but wholly embodies Bea, who has certainty and clarity about loving Mitra and about theater and poetry. Throughout, Massoud and Rey show their characters' belief in the truths of poetry writing and the poignancy of first love. S.W. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2024]