A collection of poems written over the course of a long and difficult lesbian love, Sink or Swim: Reflections on an Ending focuses on themes of longing, loss, dreams, and desire, and asks the reader to review the depth of their personal relationships through the author’s infatuation.

WHEN THE WORLD DIDN’T END

How is it possible to get up and face the world after enduring events that change you for the worse? What does it mean when life feels less like something you live and more like something you fight against? Conquering themes of religion, trauma, sex abuse and suicide, WHEN THE WORLD DIDN’T END is a harrowing yet hopeful venture into the things we’re not supposed to say.

G R I E F
I S A N
A N C H O R .

Raw and unflinching, the poems in
G R I E F
I S
A N
A N C H O R .
tell the truth of grief and tragedy as McCoy sees it—no padding or sugar-coating will be found here. Instead, you’ll find all the realities of the secondhand sorrow and vicarious hurt that come from being a sensitive person in an insensitive world.

Poetry

"GRIEF AS GIRLHOOD" and "THE MOST BEAUTIFUL WOMEN I'VE KNOWN." Two poems published by The Afterpast Review.
"WHEN THE PSYCHOLOGIST SAYS TELL ME YOUR TRAUMA AND YOU SAY THERE IS NOTHING TO TELL" and "GRIEF IS AN ANCHOR." Two poems published by Graphic Violence Lit.
"THE PROCESS OF RECOVERING THE BODY." Single poem part of Ghost Girls Zine's third issue, Grief.
"in middle school i learn how to comfort myself because no one else knows how to." Single poem part of Do Geese See God's inaugural issue.
“in high school i learn to love myself because no one else is willing.” Single poem part of Messy Misfits Club’s fifth issue.
"untitled prose poem 1 + 2," two poems published by Moonbow Magazine.
"ECO GRIEF.” Single poem part of Koru Magazine's inaugural issue.
"The New Generation." Single poem published in OutWrite Journal 2023. A reading of this poem can be found here.
"music therapy" and “what it looks like when i lie to myself." Two poems published in Issue 1.3 of The Passionfruit Review.
"ODE TO UNEASE." Single poem published in issue one of Dog Teeth Lit.
“SACROSANCT” and “SQUIRREL SEASON.” Two poems published in The Alien Buddha Loves You, an anthology by Alien Buddha Press.
“The Day My Brother Was a Boy.” Single poem part of And Gallons Magazine’s Barbie issue.
“WHEN THE GODS SAY PRAYERS DON’T FALL.” Single poem published by the Coalition For Digital Narratives.

Prose

"The Orange Grove." Short story. Published by Free Spirit, a division of Poets' Choice Publishing. Part of a physical anthology called "Speaking of Romance."
"I Refuse to Let it Hurt Without Reason." Nonfiction article about my experiences with mental illness, published online by Cathartic Youth Lit.
"Studio Seduction." Flash fiction published in volume three of HORNS, a division of Bullshit Lit.
"Lament on a Love Lost." Flash fiction published in issue one of Transients Mag.
“Requiem for a Girl I Once Knew.” Flash nonfiction published in the 2024 winter anthology of Querencia Press.

Self-Published Articles
(Click on the image to read the article)

Making Accessibility More Accessible:
How disability advocacy benefits everyone, including you

First-World Consumption Habits and the Desire to Acquire:
The role of consumerism and overconsumption in the earth's descent into entropy

The Hidden Horrors of the Animal Food Industry,
And how we're all inadvertently complicit within it

Hitching a Ride on the Highway to Hell:
The role of poverty, trauma, and peer pressure in drug addiction

The End of Equality:
How the exclusivity of a fifty-year-old movement is negatively shaping the new generation

Things My Trans Girlfriend Taught Me,
And other lessons I didn't know I needed

The World According to You:
What different people, places and lifestyles can teach us about our own privilege

Hi, I'm Rose! I'm a multiskilled creative person with a deep love for dance, music, writing, and the arts. I'm very passionate about human and animal rights, mental health, and humans sharing their griefs and insecurities with each other. In addition to writing, I play bassoon, perform in shows, and take photos; like most creatives, I often juggle multiple projects, currently including a play, several novels, and a short story collection.I work as an editor for The Afterpast Review and Miniskirt Mag, and I've also worked in the past writing articles and creating content for a mental health nonprofit. Mental health is an important topic for me, and I'm very open about my struggles with mental illness; I have chronic tics, social anxiety, and seasonal depression, and I'm also very sensitive, which can make existing difficult.As far as writing goes, I started my foray into publishing in late 2022 and have been working my way up since. My philosophy with poetry is that a good poem should either teach or hurt, and in the best cases, both. I love poems that feel like a punch in the gut—I want to feel the viscera and meat of a poem before anything else.I'm always open to helping other writers and collaborating with others; if that's you, or you just want to strike up a conversation with someone interesting, you can find my socials below! Thanks for stopping by.