Ciara Totton, a Spokane nursing assistant and 25-year anorexia survivor, just won the first-ever Charles Potts Poetry Award for her debut collection “Bodies in Reduction”—a raw, powerful exploration of eating disorders, trauma, and healing. Facing years of silence and societal pressure, Totton’s poetry reveals how anorexia became a false refuge from childhood abuse—and how reclaiming her body became her path to recovery. With heartfelt vulnerability and fierce resilience, she turns personal pain into universal truth, challenging diet culture and beauty standards with lines like “My body doesn’t belong to you.” The award—complete with $1,000 and publication—celebrates emerging voices, especially those who’ve overcome financial and emotional barriers. Totton’s journey, supported by friends, her editor, and even her cat Popsicle, proves that healing is possible—and art can be both cathartic and revolutionary. The contest remains open; this Friday, she’ll celebrate at Good Medicine Apothecary.
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This is an automated, high-level news summary based on public reporting.
Sources:
https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2026/sep/17/local-nursing-assistant-and-poet-wins-award-for-co/
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