Talking with I.S Jones about Bloodmercy, the complicated presence of God, and cataloging the milestones of girlhood

I.S. Jones is the author of Bloodmercy, chosen by Nicole Sealey as the winner of the 2025 APR/Honickman First Book Prize, and the chapbook Spells of my Name, selected by Newfound in 2021 for their Emerging Writer series (and might I add, an O, Word? 2025 5-star read). Currently, she is a senior editor for Poetry Northwest, where she runs her column, “The Legacy Suite.” Her works have appeared in Granta, LA Review of Books, Guernica, Prairie Schooner, the Rumpus, and elsewhere.

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