Marlena Chertock has two books of poetry, Crumb-sized: Poems (Unnamed Press) and On that one-way trip to Mars (Bottlecap Press). Using her skeletal dysplasia and chronic pain as a bridge to scientific poetry, she writes about chronic pain, disability, sexuality, and science fiction. Marlena is the Co-Chair of OutWrite, Washington, D.C.’s annual LGBTQ literary festival. She regularly moderates panels at literary conferences, facilitates writing workshops, and performs poetry at open mics and reading series. Find her at marlenachertock.com or @mchertock.