I can finally share news I’ve been sitting on since January! I will be one of ten writers—five poets and five novelists—featured in “Resistance: An Anthology of Overcoming.”
The book will be published in August 2026 by Awatum Press. This two-volume series examines the nature of resistance through different lenses—one literary, the other academic—to arrive at a richer understanding.
The team at Awatum just shared with me an early review of my poetry in this collection. I am beyond grateful to Midwest Book Review for these kind words:
“DJ Murphy’s stunning poetry is introspective in all the best ways, and his writing gives a unique slant to this collection; he is self-aware enough to realize that even well intentioned individuals whose opinions check all the morally correct boxes can sometimes be part of the problem.”
-Midwest Book Review
In addition to my collaboration with Awatum Press, I am busy writing my next full length poetry collection.
I began writing Versus in early 2025, a time when autocracies ascended; the sirens of AI lured us into uncharted waters; climate alarms continued to blare; war was waged with dime-store drones; loneliness became the new epidemic.
These tensions—us versus (fill in the blank!)—form the inescapable context for this collection, but not its story. Dwelling in darkness diminishes our uniquely human superpower:
HOPE.
Our need to feel hopeful is threaded through our DNA; it’s in of our marrow memory.
The ancient Greek poet Hesiod told us the myth of Pandora who, in her curiosity, allowed the spirits trapped in Zeus’ jar to escape, except one: Elpis, the spirit of hope. We continue to reach for that jar in search of hope.
More than a collection of poems, Versus tells a story, one that explores the space between cynicism and hope. Its pivot point is resilience; our refusal to give up on what we know to be good about the world, about each other, about ourselves.
My first book, Seeking Ordinary Joy, traced the journey we travel from restlessness to happiness. Versus may be its prequel—the strength we find to overcome that which tries to rob us of hope.
Seeking Ordinary Joy 