Judith Montgomery and E. Ivy Ross Ricci

We are thrilled to welcome two poets to the store, one debuting her first collection and one returning with her fourth: E. Ivy Ross Ricci and Judith H. Montgomery.

Ivy Ross Ricci is a musician, writer, educator, and activist based in Port Angeles, Washington, who lived for many years in Portland. Her debut collection of poetry, The Force of Gravity, is playful and profound, an honest portrait of a growing writer surrounded by the intoxicating buzz of 24-hour poetry. Since 1996, Ricci has been recognized for her contributions and leadership in the fields of girls’ empowerment, literacy, public art, women’s health, juvenile justice & youth advocacy, music education, teen peer leadership training, implementation of anti-bias curricula, and creative after-school programming. Her original songs exude gumption, gratitude, and often educational material.

Judith H. Montgomery’s poems have been published in the Bellingham Review, Cimarron Review, and Prairie Schooner, among other journals. Her first collection, Passion, received the Oregon Book Award for Poetry.  Her fourth book, Litany for Wound and Bloom, was a finalist for the Marsh Hawk Prize and appeared in August 2018 from Uttered Chaos Press.  Her prize-winning narrative medicine chapbook, Mercy, appeared in March 2019.  She has recently moved from Bend back to the valley (Oregon City).