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aɐrik francis

@phaentompoet.bsky.social
431 followers 385 following 138 posts

poet based in Denver, CO, USA author of BODYPOLITIC (forthcoming with Abode Press in March 2026) MISEDUCATION (New Delta Review, 2023) and BODYELECTRONIC (Trouble Department, 2022) phaentompoet.com linktr.ee/aerik

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Reposted by aɐrik francis
Sundress Publications @sundresspub.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
We are excited to announce the launch of a new fundraising campaign centered on a simple idea: writers helping writers. Learn more at: sundress-publications.square.site/p…
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The Word | A Storytelling Sanctuary @wordisdiversity.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Join us to close out our storytelling festival by helping us celebrate The Word's first publication Now Is the Time. Our collection includes Colorado State Poet Laureate Crisosto Apache, Adams County Poet Laureate Aerik Francis, Aurora Poet Laureate Ahja Fox and a diverse line-up of Colorado poets.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 27/09/2026
good news, i just got more copies of my 2nd chapbook bad news, it's now sold out and these are the last copies ever, the end of an era
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 17/09/2026
wow, MISEDUCATION is officially sold out the end of an era! Well sorta– hoping to get the audio/album done by the end of the year so that it can still be listened to
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 11/09/2026
an older white guy in biker atire & helmet gets on the bus. i cannot quite explain the shock i experienced in seeing, after taking the helmet off, that he was wearing a durag 😲 oh Boulder, CO you never fail to surprise me 😵‍💫
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
i know i ask this all the time, but do you know of a political page poet who does *not* exclusively write docu-poems? Every so-called "political poet" I can think of is either a spoken word poet, a docu-poet, or they died and had their "political poems" published post-humously
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 07/09/2026
Learning that my chapbook MISEDUCATION is reaching the end of its print run. just as quickly as they came, all of my chapbooks will soon be unavailable. it would be cool to collect each chap into one book, though, I'd hate for that to be my "first book". so it'd have to come after the "first book"
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 02/08/2026
went to the CO history museum yesterday and wow i am just so angry and disgusted about the Sand Creek Massacre. i knew before but learning the details just make it all so so so awful
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 31/07/2026
saw a guy run off the bus toward Runners Roost
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 27/07/2026
this is random, but i was thinking about how a few years ago i was reading and enjoying Mary Jo Bang's translation of The Inferno until Eric Cartman from South Park showed up in Canto VI and it kinda ruined the illusion/fun for me and I stopped reading 🥴
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 24/07/2026
surprise surprise, i like the new charli xcx album– it's fun and irreverant. it's not brat at all and yet it's so brat. it's avoidant yet vulnerable been enjoying all the guitar eras of artists because it's like going back to basics while also building on / moving forward from their discographies
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 22/07/2026
been writing a few commissioned poems lately I dislike writing on a deadline, but actually, I think the poems turned out pretty good! I'd much rather share work I've already written, but that said, ya know, if you need a commissioned poem, keep me in mind 😉
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 11/07/2026
it's wild how so many of my favorite electronic musicians were like, okay it's time for a guitar phase. (granted, I think it is a kind of response to the electronic takeover of music [from ai to algorithms to autotune, etc]) Shit, even me phaentompoet.bandcamp.com/track/reason...
phaentompoet.bandcamp.com
Reasons Why I Left, by phaentompoet + Angie Ráfaga
track by phaentompoet + Angie Ráfaga
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 09/07/2026
fascinated by the Reckless Ben and Bricks and Minifigs youtube series because I think it shows the horrific truth of the current USAmerican justice system, from cops to judges and their biased relationship to corporations #BrickByBrick
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 08/07/2026
Grateful to have 2 poems out today with The Boiler called "US American Education" and "US American Middle Manifesto" theboilerjournal.com/aerik-francis/
theboilerjournal.com
Aerik Francis
US American Education(Aint It Funny)come to find outI’m still of iteven when I aintin itaint itfunny how itbe like thataint thatsome shitthey say theyin itbut not of itbut itdon’t make nosense itdo…
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 05/07/2026
finally finished The Boyfriend season 2. between that and Heated Rivalry, been consuming a lot of shows with queer joy and it makes my heart happy even as i simulatenously reflect on how the usa sucks
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
what if my drag name was faeri krancis
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Reposted by aɐrik francis
Teri V @terivela.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
@fifthwheelpress.bsky.social published my microchap Triforce Sonnets for their June Pride series ✨💕🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️💕 and you can download it here for free. Any tips that I get through the website will go to The Sameer Project ❤️🇵🇸❤️ ko-fi.com/s/d7f55a0b9b
ko-fi.com
Pride Series #14: Triforce Sonnets by Teri Vela - fifth wheel press's Ko-fi Shop
The fourteenth title in the fifth wheel press 2026 Pride Microchapbook Series. Teri Vela (she/her) is a queer Latina poet, mother, and former public ...
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
just got interviewed for an up&coming lit mag and the way i was throwing down CITATIONS made me remember exactly how much i read and learned during my time in grad skool even if i don't have a grad degree to ~legitimize~ it
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 27/06/2026
every especially cool poetry event i do, afterward, the moon speaks to me not sure what it tells me, but it always calls out and grabs my attention
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
tonight i get to read some queer as fuck poems accompanied by a baroque ensemble the harpischord player will be in drag merry Pride ✨🌈
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 25/06/2026
idk what's worse, that i saw a waymo in denver or that a human was driving it
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 20/06/2026
so i found some writing I did about the anime Death Note that I forgot about until now and I was like "dang, this is wild and good. I'm smart!" So now I have to edit it into an essay and submit it out
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Reposted by aɐrik francis
Community of Literary Magazines & Presses (CLMP) @clmporg.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Looking for a poetry collection to read this #PrideMonth? Pick a book (or several) from our reading list featuring indie presses: www.clmp.org/news/a-readi...
clmp.org
A Reading List for Pride Month 2026 - Community of Literary Magazines and Presses
For Pride Month, observed annually during the month of June, we asked the many independent literary presses and magazines that make up our membership to share with us some of the literature by…
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
i think my next poetry workshop is gonna be on onomatopoeia. It's one of the first things we learn about poetry, so it's made to seem childish. But not only is the etymology of many words [surprisingly] onomatopoeia/ the sound it makes, but it is also a great device to elevate spoken performance
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 15/06/2026
do you think a publisher would be down to publish a full length that is just my 3 chapbooks combined? is this the same or different than a "collected" book/anthology?
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 10/06/2026
Super excited for this. I did a version of this workshop in person a few years ago in Albuquerque, New Mexico on farm land (shoutout to Ashokra Farm) and it was so much fun. Excited for the possibilities of doing this virtually
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Reposted by aɐrik francis
ALOCASIA @alocasiamag.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Free tickets are now available for the fourth installation of the ALOCASIA Summer Creative Writing Workshop Series, led in August by Aerik Francis! RSVP on Eventbrite to reserve your spot! www.eventbrite.com/e/alocasia-p...
Aerik Francis & ALOCASIA present

TOOL//SHED: Queering Digital EcoPoetry

Aug 22 3pm EST FREE Virtual on Zoom

TOOL//SHED: QUEERING DIGITAL ECOPOETRY aims to closely examine the complex relationships among queerness, technology, and nature through poetry. What would it mean to reckon with technology until it ceases? How do we go about writing ecopoetry that is also attuned to the place/presence/development of technology, a concept that has been position not only counter to "nature" but to actively in practice pollute and destroy "nature?"
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ALOCASIA @alocasiamag.bsky.social · 09/06/2026
Free tickets are now available for the third installation of the ALOCASIA Summer Creative Writing Workshop Series, led in July by Seelai Karzai! RSVP on Eventbrite to reserve your spot! www.eventbrite.com/e/postapocal...
Seelai Karzai and ALOCASIA present Postapocalyptic Beings at the Beginning of the World, a poetry writing workshop. July 18th at 3pm, Free, Virtual on Zoom. 

What can forests, swamps, grasslands, and wildlife inhabiting the earth show us about surviving exile, displacement, rootlessness, and the persistence of being? We will read and discuss a variety of poems by Franny Choi, Ross Gay, Rajiv Mohabir, and others. In this generative writing workshop, we will also have guided poetry prompts inspired by examples from our reading selections and quiet writing time to produce new poems that map out our postapocalyptic psyches.
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Reposted by aɐrik francis
CODEPINK @codepink.bsky.social · 31/05/2026
Since September, the US has killed at least 202 civilians in boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. These are all war crimes.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 20/05/2026
nice article about the local poetry scene persisting despite the closures of a number of spaces and an updated open mic list www.westword.com/arts-culture...
westword.com
Denver venues are closing, but open mics prevail
The Pearl's recent closure signals changes in Denver's open mic scene, but there are still plenty of them around.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 17/05/2026
the Adams County team has been making little video recaps of my PL events so far, and they make everything seem even cooler! so if you are curious to see some of the programming I've been up to in my time as poet laureate, here are some highlights:
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I have a line in a poem I keep thinking about. It's a line that feels almost ridiculous, almost redundant, almost tautological, and yet, as it suggests itself, bears repeating: "Anything can repeat with enough repetition" www.motherjones.com/politics/202...
motherjones.com
ICE keeps detaining the same US citizen again, and again, and again. He’s fighting back.
“I only wish to live my life in peace,” Leonardo Garcia Venegas said in a declaration.
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Reposted by aɐrik francis
Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 08/04/2026
"The shattering of faith in America’s goodness is the hardest part to watch."
motherjones.com
A photographer’s view of ICE’s relentless courthouse arrests
The shattering of faith in America's goodness is the hardest part to watch.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 02/04/2026
sharing an interview here that I did recently with Meca'Ayo Cole, who is such a cool artist!!! we talked about freedom making in poetry, music, and my new chapbook www.coloradopoetrycalendar.org/blog/aerik-f...
coloradopoetrycalendar.org
A Conversation with Adam’s County Poet Laureate Aerik Francis — Colorado Poetry Calendar
I conducted this first interview with Aerik Francis, Adam’s County’s second poet laureate, over text between March 18, 2026 and March 29th. I was excited to talk with Aerik about their upcoming events...
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 26/03/2026
i am guilty of this too in having to write one myself, but contemporary obituaries never seem to invlude cause of death. there are many people who i know who have passed on but nobody seems to know how or why i get not wanting to be reduced down to the cause, but now there are questions lingering
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 25/03/2026
omg does this count as me being published by poets.org? (no but it's still cool that they shared the event!!) poets.org/event/adams-...
poets.org
Adams County Poet Laureate Open Mic with Aerik Francis
Join Adams County Poet Laureate Aerik Francis for their quarterly open mic. Poets of all ages, abilities and experience levels are invited to share original work in this warm, supportive community spa...
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HELL Kennedy @helenkennedy.com · 07/03/2026
NBC - Two arrested and two IEDs seized as right wingers hold an anti-Islam demo outside Gracie Mansion today during Ramadan. Not immediately known if Mayor Mamdani was home. www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news...
Photo w caption: A person flees after throwing a homemade explosive device during a protest organized by far-right influencer Jake Lang in front of Mayor Zohran Mamdani's official residence on Saturday.
Charly Triballeau / AFP - Getty Images
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Nick Benson @ottergoose.net · 08/03/2026
Today we observed six shackled detainees being loaded onto the ICE Air flight at MSP. They're heading to El Paso, where conditions are so horrific, staff gamble on who the next prisoner to commit suicide will be. The man walking from right to left at the beginning of the clip is dragging shackles.
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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
The burning oil refinery in Tehran tonight. This ancient city of 10 million people is being annihilated by the US and Israel. (🎥 BBC Verify)
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News Eye @newseye.bsky.social · 08/03/2026
BREAKING: The US has bombed Tehran’s main refinery and burning oil is now flooding down the streets into the city’s sewers. This is a vision from hell, unleashed by the US tonight. (🎥 Vahid Online)
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 28/02/2026
so disgusted with all the destruction, cruelty, and death my country is responsible for
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 24/02/2026
i applied to UMS again lmao it's like, fat chance! still had to try
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Elizabeth Jacobs, PhD @elizabethjacobs.bsky.social · 21/02/2026
A lot of people, including me, were wondering how an IRB could ever approve this study. The answer is that no IRB did. The person who “signed off” on approval from the only ethics board that reviewed it had resigned three years earlier. His signature was used without his knowledge.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
i know posting on this app doesn't mean much when i barely interact with anyone on here and don't even know who i'm talking to, but i gotta at least try. besides, it's you, dear reader reading right now, i'm talking to you. hello ! ✨🌱
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
and if you are looking to write more poetry this year and need a boost, i am facilitating a virtual poetry workshop with Abode Press on March 15 on Body Poetics get tickets here www.abodepress.com/events-1/bod...
abodepress.com
Body Poetics: A Poetry Workshop | Abode Press
Led by Aerik Francis, this generative writing workshop is an invitation to check in with our bodies and consider our bodies alongside our writing.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
if you are going to AWP this year you can hear me read from my new chapbook BODYPOLITIC for the first time (and get your own copy) at this offsite event with Abode, Sundress, and Honey Lit www.abodepress.com/events-1/awp...
abodepress.com
AWP Offsite Event: Radical Futures: An Empowering Evening of Poetry & Prose | Abode Press
Join Abode Press, Sundress Publications, Honey Literary, and 9 powerhouse writers for an evening of poetry and prose on radical futures.
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aɐrik francis @phaentompoet.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Cover reveal and preorder link are now up for my new poetry chapbook, BODYPOLITIC, out March 1 with Abode Press www.abodepress.com/product-page...
abodepress.com
BODYPOLITIC by Aerik Francis | Abode Press
BODYPOLITIC by Aerik Francis is the second chapbook in Abode's 2025-2026 lineup and is officially available for pre-order! All orders will be shipped by mid March. There are only 100 copies of this ch...
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beestung @beestung.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
Thank you to @clmporg.bsky.social for featuring beestung bee-loveds S*an D. Henry-Smith and Aerik Francis in this roundup!
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Fiction Collective Two @fictioncollective2.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
To celebrate Black History Month, we're sharing selections from our anthology INFINITE CONSTELLATIONS! Get 30% off & free shipping for all our books this month with code BHM at checkout! www.uapress.ua.edu/978157366198... To explore more work by Aerik Francis: www.phaentompoet.com
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