Peacock Lane by RJ Ingram

from $13.95

Paperback, 120 pages

Cover Art by Casey Hannan

Peacock Lane is a choose-your-own-adventure told through a deck of poems masquerading as tarot cards, each poem a door, a dare, a misdirection. Blurring the lines between pop culture criticism, fan fiction, & neighborhood gossip, it traces the slippery performances of the Dandy & the Trickster as they wander a street that glows too brightly & remembers too much. This is a book that fell asleep with the TV on & woke up mid-transformation: a Gemini-Cancer cusp of sentimentality & spectacle, tenderness & sabotage.

In this epic sequel to The Autobiography of Nancy Drew, RJ Ingram beckons us like a flashing neon light that’s eerily inviting. Set against the real & mythologized Peacock Lane of Portland—famous for its excessive Christmas lights—these poems unravel a persona who wants to become a labyrinth, who overcommits, overdecorates, & over feels. Moving through abandoned gas stations, prom committees, & long-distance phone calls that linger too long, the collection stages an investigation into identity as performance & survival as rehearsal.

ITEM:

Paperback, 120 pages

Cover Art by Casey Hannan

Peacock Lane is a choose-your-own-adventure told through a deck of poems masquerading as tarot cards, each poem a door, a dare, a misdirection. Blurring the lines between pop culture criticism, fan fiction, & neighborhood gossip, it traces the slippery performances of the Dandy & the Trickster as they wander a street that glows too brightly & remembers too much. This is a book that fell asleep with the TV on & woke up mid-transformation: a Gemini-Cancer cusp of sentimentality & spectacle, tenderness & sabotage.

In this epic sequel to The Autobiography of Nancy Drew, RJ Ingram beckons us like a flashing neon light that’s eerily inviting. Set against the real & mythologized Peacock Lane of Portland—famous for its excessive Christmas lights—these poems unravel a persona who wants to become a labyrinth, who overcommits, overdecorates, & over feels. Moving through abandoned gas stations, prom committees, & long-distance phone calls that linger too long, the collection stages an investigation into identity as performance & survival as rehearsal.

Who We Are

[Matte] Paperback Book

This paperback edition of Peacock Lane presents the choose-your-own-adventure poetry collection in a tactile, collectible format, where each poem functions like a tarot draw within a shifting narrative. The vibrant cover includes art from Casey Hannan, telling a story in tandem with the interior poetry, with a bonus poem on the back cover.

*All pre-orders placed from March to June will arrive as a special bundled package: the book wrapped in black kraft paper, paired with a magenta beeswax taper candle & a Desert Ghost Flower incense stick, inspired by the book’s atmosphere. Add the corresponding poetic ritual candle to your order to complete the immersive reading ritual.

“Candied Dandies” Soy Wax Candle by Marvel + Moon

Comes in a 3 oz. black tin.

A strange, nostalgic blend of meadow clover, lavender, earth moss, & worn leather—soft & feral—this candle evokes a late-night television glow, lit up streets, & the unraveling of a Trickster who lingers a little too long.

Green & floral notes open like a memory you’re not sure is yours, while damp moss & leather settle into something more intimate & lived-in, slightly worn, & impossible to fully place. It’s the scent of borrowed things returned altered, of bright performances hiding tender undercurrents, of a story that invites you in & refuses to end where you expect.

Scent Notes: Meadow Clover. Lavender. Earth Moss. Leather.
Adorned with a mini tarot spread.

QUOTES ABOUT THE BOOK:

Peacock Lane is a glimpse into a poet's life by way of a thousand different universes. RJ Ingram weaves together reality and fandom in this stunning second collection. These poems trumpet the fiction many of us grew up loving, conjuring a cast of familiar characters to delve into such themes as grief, death, sobriety, relationships, and the unfoldings of the real world. This book is a love letter to the media we most see ourselves in, as well as a rumination on past selves and grappling with what we must leave behind. Often a fun romp, at times a stouthearted look inward, a pleasure from start-to-finish. Peacock Lane is like the coziest cross-galaxy road trip, each poem's end a promise that adventure lies just on the next page if you dare to turn it.

-Julia Gaskill, author of Weirdo & co-organizer of “The Bigfoot Regional Poetry Festival”