Elizabeth Hazen on Tour: A Look Back at the GIRLS LIKE US Blog Tour
In the age of COVID 19, blog tours have become a necessary addition to the writer's toolkit. In this article we look at Elizabeth Hazen's recent blog tour for her collection, GIRLS LIKE US.
BLOG TOURS have a lot in common with traditional book tours: both take place over a period of time, usually a few weeks or months, and both aim to engage a diversity of audiences by traveling from place to place, region to region, in-person or online. Sure, a blog tour will never make up for the experience of a book tour, but the online option is an increasingly popular alternative in the age of COVID 19.
Over the last few months, Elizabeth Hazen's latest collection Girls Like Us has been gathering steam in the indie book world. Girls Like Us is, in part, a reaction to the #metoo movement and the 2016 election, and in part, a long-reaching reflection on female identity and the contradictory personas women are expected to embody. At the very beginning of the pandemic, as book stores and bars everywhere were considering closing their doors, demand for live appearances were at an all-time high for Hazen. Presaging a nationwide shutdown, Hazen launched a blog tour that would begin and end entirely in the digital space.
Recently, Hazen concluded her tour with a stop at "Diary of an Eccentric," a small blog run by Anna Horner which has been reviewing poetry and prose since 2007. Like "Diary of an Eccentric," most of Hazen's tour stops were small and intimate, much like the indie bookstores and coffee shops where her live readings would have taken place. The beauty of the blog tour is precisely this: real people review the book, hold it, think about it, and offer their insights and opinions. A blog tour can guarantee something that many publications cannot: sincerity.
Aside from receiving reviews, Hazen also wrote several eloquent and thoughtful guest-post essays, like this one on her tsundoku for Anthony Avina's Blog.
Girls Like Us is packed with fierce, eloquent, and deeply intelligent poetry focused on female identity and the contradictory personas women are expected to embody. The predicaments confronted in Girls Like Us are age-old and universal—but in our current era, Hazen’s work has a particular weight, power, and value.
Below is a rundown of the reviews and guest posts that came from the Girls Like Us blog tour.
Reviews
In their review of the collection, "Musing of a Bookish Kitty" wrote
"Overall this is a rich and meaningful collection of poetry that I am glad I took a chance on. I walked away from the collection knowing it will be one I return to again and again."
In their review, "Impressions in Ink" wrote,
"[These] poems resonated with me—they spoke big to my heart. [They] reminded me of things way back in my past that hang like strings from my clothing that can’t be pulled off..."
In their review, Anthony Avina wrote,
"A truly one of a kind read, the author and poet Elizabeth Hazen and her book Girls Like Us is a truly amazing work of poems. The raw emotions combined with the true and often sad realities the poems capture of life connect with readers on an intimate level, and the theme and heart of the book speak to so many that readers will not be able to put it down. Be sure to grab this quick yet powerful read today! Rating: 10/10"
In their review, "Diary of an Eccentric" wrote,
"These poems are honest and brave, shocking and edgy ... As a woman, it was hard not to feel like the narrator was telling my story. I recognized myself on the page...Hazen’s unflinching take on the female experience is one that I won’t soon forget."
In their review, "The Book Connection" wrote,
"The collection hits hard right out of the gate ... Hazen isn't afraid to call it like she sees it. Edgy, fierce, and filled with emotion."
Guest Posts
Read Elizabeth Hazen's essay about Tsundoku on "Anthony Avina's Blog"
Read her essay about Optimism and Writing on "The Bookworm"
Read her essay about the Genesis of Girls Like Us on "Diary of an Eccentric"
For her blog tour, Elizabeth Hazen used Serena Agusto-Cox's Poetic Book Tours.