In 1979, a book of poetry by a writer known simply as Ai caused a small sensation in the literary world. Killing FloorâAi's second book of poemsâwon the Lamont Poetry Prize of the American Academy of Poets, an award chosen by such peers as Philip Levine and Maxine Kumin. It launched the her into the upper echelons of literary society, where she earned further awards, endowments, and a position teaching at Oklahoma State University.
The power of this early work has diminished and fallen out of discourse over the years because Killing Floor went out of print. But ever since Carl Adamshick, main editor of Portland nonprofit poetry press Tavern Books, stumbled across a copy, he and his team have been working to republish the book and bring Killing Floor to contemporary readers.
A successful Kickstarter campaign this summer helped Tavern republish Killing Floor to celebrate the bookâs 40th anniversary. Tavern Books is the perfect new home for Killing Floor. This relatively young press (not yet 10 years) made its mark with revivals of long out-of-print works and translations of non-English language poetry for Western readers.
Most importantly, one of their main goals has been to support young female poets through their Wrolstad Contemporary Poetry Series. Since 2013, theyâve held open submissions (the current one wraps up on January 15), accepting manuscripts from female/female-identifying US poets under the age of 40. To date, their Wrolstad Series has produced some truly great work from poets like Megan Levad and current Wrolstad winner Elena Cisneros.
Aiâs work fits with the rest of Tavern's bibliography in many ways, but most noticeably in its sheer brute force. Thereâs a vital sociopolitical edge to Killing Floor. Ai attempts to reckon with the horrors of the past, acknowledging everything from the violence that occurred in Mexico following the election of Manuel Ăvila Camacho to the tragic life of Marilyn Monroe. Killing Floor holds important messages of empathy and survival that many still need to hear. 
