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Cody Draco

@codydraco

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Winner of the 2025 Chaffin/Kash Prize 🏆
Literary Titan Gold Book Award 🏅and Voyages of Verses Book Award ⛵️“Spirit of the Cowboy” is out now. 📚

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Welcoming the rest of our 2027 Arcana Poets. 🥹

You didn't really think we were going to go the whole summer without publishing any books, did you?

You all loved our 2025 Winter Chapbook Series so much, so we're bringing it back with a new 2027 Summer Chapbook Series. ☀️

We are so grateful for these four remarkable poets, and we cannot wait for you to get your hands on their collections.

Swipe to see the crew. Author bios are captioned under each poet's slide.

Thank you for being the most amazing community a little indie press could ask for. Your love and support make a difference. None of this happens without you. 💛

Nix Carlson (she/they) is a queer, polyamorous, and neurodivergent sign language interpreter based in Lexington, KY, with strong ties to Milwaukee, WI. Their work appears or is forthcoming in several publications, including wildscape, Gather, Orange Rose, and Poetry Lighthouse.

Indira Devos (she/they) is an intersex multidisciplinary artist and professional witch from Southwestern Ontario. She is featured in poetry anthologies such as Gather Selected Works, and The Museum of Haunted Hearts, and was a curator, editor, and illustrator for the Dickotomy anthology. Their debut collection, Swelling Dark, is available wherever books are sold.

Cody Draco is a queer poet and winner of the 2025 Chaffin/Kash Prize. His self-published collection, Spirit of the Cowboy, received the Literary Titan Gold Book Award and the Voyages of Verses Book Award. He calls Florida home, for now.

Lauren Rich is a poet and social worker from the Chicagoland area. When she isn't writing, she can be found traveling, exploring the local forests, or having a pint at the pub. taken in Hudson Valley, NY by @codydraco

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25 days ago

Spirit of the Cowboy has a bit of a new look to represent its status as a dual award-winning poetry collection! As a winner of the Voyages of Verses Book Award and Literary Titan Gold Book Award this project found me grappling with my queer American identity and announced my self-taught underdog arrival on the literary scene. While my writing journey has only just begun, I feel a a lot like Ash Ketchum earning his first Pokémon gym badges! Receiving these honors along with the 2025 Chaffin/Kash Prize from @kentuckystatepoetry have fueled my willingness to experiment and expand upon my existing artistry in quite interesting ways. Only time will tell if this has all been a fluke or if I truly belong in the world of poetry. 🤠 by @codydraco

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4 months ago

I may have never stepped a physical foot in California, but I have been featured in Santa Clara Review: The California Edition Volume 113, Issue 1 with my poem “From California Dreamin’ to Southern Kentucky Screaming”.🙀 Swipe to hear the poem read in full and visit @santaclarareview to purchase your copy of this special issue of one of the oldest literary publications in the Western U.S. ♥️ by @codydraco

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9 days ago

Life is so good with you… I never thought I would like eating anchovies but stranger things have happened in 2026. 😅 by @codydraco

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20 days ago

my life is kinda chic 😌

#kindachic #kindachictrend by @codydraco

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a month ago

Who’s the King?: Arts and Masculinities Anthology @kingsanthology examines masculinity through personal essays, short stories, poetry, and visual art from 33 unique and talented contributors. Special thanks to Editor Stephen Yuffrida Brown for selecting my poem, Spirit of the Cowboy, for inclusion. by @codydraco

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2 months ago

In our upcoming anthology, Metaphorically Speaking, Cody Draco @codydraco and Sally Mills @somersetmacaw both take us on high-velocity journeys through human emotion, using unforgettable metaphors to capture what it feels like to run, burn, and fight for momentum.

✨ Cody Draco brings raw, electric poetry that explores movement, identity, and the quiet tension of letting someone truly see you.

✨ Sally Mills captures the relentless race of life, the sting of exhaustion, and the courage it takes to hit the brakes.

Swipe through to get a sneak peek at their featured works, Abandoned River and Burn out!
Mark your calendars: Metaphorically Speaking officially lands on September 15th!

Support indie here https://a.co/d/0fDf8siZ 📚✨

Question of the Day: What metaphor best describes the season of life you are currently in? Drop it in the comments below! 👇
#metaphoricallyspeaking #quillkeeperspress #poetrycommunity #writerspotlight #bookstagram by @codydraco

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2 months ago

Book Review: “Kashawn Taylor’s cinematic take on navigating a prison purgatory is precisely the unflinching grit I personally seek out when searching for poetry to read. Don’t let the setting fool you. This collection is full of surprises, often sensual and unsettling in their humanity. Ultimately, Kashawn is a writer whom I admire for the conviction with which he shares unpleasant truths.” - Cody Draco, author of Spirit of the Cowboy by @codydraco

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2 months ago

AFTERSHOCK EVERYWHERE
@codydraco reads Gloryhole Confessional from Dirty Laundry, £8.99 out everywhere! by @codydraco

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2 months ago

✨ COVER REVEAL ✨

Some truths are too big to say plainly.

Some emotions can only be carried through metaphor.

Today, we’re beyond excited to reveal the cover of Metaphorically Speaking—an anthology where 63 incredible writers transformed love, grief, hope, joy, healing, longing, and becoming into unforgettable imagery. Every page is an invitation to see the world a little differently and discover pieces of yourself hidden between the lines.

To each of our 63 contributors: thank you for trusting us with your words and your imagination. This collection exists because of your creativity, your courage, and your willingness to speak in the language of metaphor. We can’t wait to share what you’ve created with the world. 💙📚

Stay tuned… the release date, preorders, and more exciting announcements are just around the corner.

❓QOTD ❓what’s a literary metaphor or trope you never get tired of? Or what book are you reading? Or how do you say “I miss you” without saying “I miss you”.

#metaphoricallyspeaking #poetrycommunity #indiepress #writingcommunity #quillkeeperspress by @codydraco

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2 months ago

Someone pinch me because I must be dreaming! 😲 @andchangepoetry has been a peak dream journal of mine ever since I started this whole writing journey and now I have two pieces forthcoming with them. 🥹 Thank you @kevinbertolero for everything you do in the literary space and for giving me the gift of such a special moment in my career. I’m absolutely stunned by this news!♥️ by @codydraco

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2 months ago

The Self is an Ocean by @cypherspace_101 is a poetic memoir rich with cultural commentary published by @darkwinterlitmag 💙

“Where Are My Queer Elders?” is one of my favorite poems as it reminds me of Adrienne Rich’s work in the accomplished way in which it makes something incredibly personal feel like witnessing a much larger societal circumstance.

Thank you @cypherspace_101 for sharing such deeply grounded and unwavering work with the world. I look to you when I need reminding that poetry doesn't have to be performative to be impactful, it just needs to be true. 👏 by @codydraco

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2 months ago