Julie Poole

Julie Poole is an Austin-based writer. She received a BA from Columbia University and an MFA from the New Writers Project at UT Austin. Her debut book of poems, Bright Specimen, was published in 2021. Her second book of poems Gorgeous Freak (Deep Vellum) is forthcoming in 2023. Her articles and essays have appeared in Texas Monthly, the Texas Observer, Scalawag, and Bon Appétit.

Book review: ‘A New Race of Men From Heaven’

From the beginning of Chaitali Sen’s short story collection, "A New Race of Men From Heaven" (Sarabande Books, 2023) simple pleasures ground characters in, what might otherwise be, the...

Book review: ‘Undocumented Motherhood’ honors maternal sacrifice against backdrop of US-Mexico border

Trauma lives in the body. An experience that seems impossible to vocalize will express itself through physical illness and mental distress. Elizabeth Farfán-Santos, a medical anthropologist, has studied how unjust...

Book review: Lise Olsen’s ‘Code of Silence’ uncovers the story of sexual abuse and coverup in the federal judiciary

In 1787, the Founding Fathers wrote into the U.S. Constitution that federal judges should be appointed for life. Say, for a moment, there exists a time machine capable of...

Book review: ‘Roller Derby: The History of an American Sport’

One night, years ago, I was riding the bus through East Austin, and I saw something I’ll never forget: a group of women on roller skates practicing drills, weaving...

Getting past ‘The Saddle Club’ and My Little Pony

My Little Ponies, Breyer Horses, "The Saddle Club," 4-H, private lessons, there’s a good chance you know a “horse girl.” Perhaps you yourself were deemed “horse crazy,” like I...

What made the Texas GOP the Texas GOP

In May I received my review copy of “The Republican Party of Texas” by Wayne Thorburn the day after Gov. Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 8, otherwise known as...