About

editor in cheifBRI BRUCE (writing as B. L. Bruce) holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in post-modern literature and creative writing from the University of California at Santa Cruz with post-graduate work with UC Berkeley’s professional editing program.

An award-winning author, photographer, publisher, and freelance graphic designer, Bruce’s work has appeared in dozens of anthologies, magazines, and literary publications, including The Sun Magazine, Tattoo Highway, Ampersand, Red Fez Entertainment, The Cossack, The Avocet Review, Atom Magazine, Northwind Magazine, The Soundings Review, and The Monterey Poetry Review, and is a widely published haikuist with work in the American Haiku Society’s Frogpond Journal, Modern Haiku, seashores, Akitsu Quarterly, folk ku, and many others.

Bruce was named Featured Poet of Homebound Publications’ holiday issue of The Wayfarer (Vol. 2, Issue 4, Dec. 2013) followed by the inclusion of seven of her poems in the Poems from Conflicted Hearts anthology alongside Poet Laureate Alice Shapiro. In addition to receiving the Ina Coolbrith Memorial Poetry Prize, Bruce was also the recipient of PushPen Press’s Pendant Prize for Poetry for her haiku series published in THREE with Poet Laureate Erica Goss. In 2023, she was the winner of the Los Gatos Poetry Contest for her piece “Once Each Year,” awarded by town poet laureate Jen Siriganian.

A two-time Pushcart Prize nominee and three-time award-winning author, Bruce’s debut collection, The Weight of Snow: New & Selected Poems, published February 2014 by Black Swift Press, earned her the nickname “the heiress of Mary Oliver.” Her second book, 28 Days of Solitude (Back Swift Press, August 2015) was written entirely during her four-week residency in the remote forests of Northern California. Also written during this stay, her chapbook, The Starling’s Song, published April 1st, 2016, was selected as the Honorable Mention of the 2017 Pacific Rim Book Festival in the poetry category. Measures, her third collection of poetry, was released in 2021. Blue California Sky, her fifth book, was published in 2024 with glowing reviews and is available from Finishing Line Press.

From 2016 to 2020, Bruce helped produce an award-winning nature adventure documentary film about Baja California called “The Devil’s Road.”

During the coronavirus shelter-in-place implications, she founded and is editor-in-chief of Humana Obscura, an online and print literary magazine publishing poetry, prose, and artwork with a nature theme.

She was featured on the cover of the June 2020 issue of Books & Buzz Magazine where she talks her shameless bibliophilia, her experience in book design, and her current projects: “How graphic designer Bri Bruce brings beauty to books” (Books & Buzz Magazine, June 2020)

Check out her feature at Shepherd, and her list of best contemporary nature poetry books: https://shepherd.com/best-books/contemporary-nature-poetry

See her recent interview with Brummet Media on her writing process, inspiration, and work: “World of Writing: Poet Interview”

Specializing in all things books and print and digital media, Bri’s professional work has given her the opportunity to work with authors, academics, non-profits, and small businesses, offering writing/editing, graphic design, publishing, and photography services.

Connect on LinkedIn, Goodreads, Twitter and Instagram!

AVAILABLE FOR HIRE

I provide graphic design (book covers, advertisements, logos, marketing collateral, etc.), book publishing and consultation, and photography services.

Portfolio available upon request.

Read testimonials here.

Read complete CV here.

639 thoughts on “About”

  1. the title and cover design of your book are beautiful, congratulations! apologize for this late acknowledgement but i did want to ty for following my poetry, encouragement is always greatly appreciated.

    Reply

  2. hi bri, thanks for following my photopoetry blog. sorry for the late acknowledgement. more power to you and yours

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  8. Thanks for following “Walking the Cat” — although I’m not “into” poetry, I can and do appreciate a well-turned phrase; having said that, I haven’t managed to produce one as yet. Thanks, again, for the “follow” — Steve

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  11. Just want to thank you for following my blog. I’m lucky. Very lucky. I will follow yours as well. You have a way with words that I find fascinating.

    John
    That Comeback Season

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  12. Hi Bri. Thanks for visiting & following my blog.

    I enjoyed reading some of your work… Your book title ‘The Weight of Snow’ is lovely.

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  19. Thanks for visiting my Blog, your bio is inspiring, your work is already known to me, I had no idea you would be on this site! Anyway best wishes and good luck with future success
    :

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      1. I wish I knew, but I’m certain I have, I’ve messaged some friends (who keep up on poetry more than me) to see if they have mentioned or showed some, I could be misplaced but I doubt it! thanks for taking time to reply, I look forward to following your blog!

  20. Hi, Bri, thank you for following my blog. I like the way yours is laid out. Looking forward to exploring it more to see what good reads I’ve been missing. Always good to hear from other writers.

    Best wishes,
    Tom

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  22. Hari Om! Bruce,

    A blogger friend of mine nominated me for Liebster, and I nominated your blog for Liebster’s award as well.

    I took this opportunity to get in touch with fellow bloggers who share similar interests. I think it’s kind of fun to get to know each other personally.

    Participation is not compulsory, I did it for fun, so feel free to join in if you like.

    Link: http://grabyourmind.com/2014/04/28/liebster-award-nomination/

    Regards,
    Krishna Dev

    Reply

  24. Thanks for the visit, BB, and for deciding to follow my blog. I especially appreciate “follows” from fellow writers, and very much look forward to exploring your blog, too. 🙂

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  25. Thanks much Bri for the follow on my blog! I love this process, getting to know other’s works through sharing our blogs and seeing the world from another’s perspective. I’ve read a few of your poems, and enjoy the imagery they give me. Congratulations on your success!

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  29. Thank you for following my blog. I’m both flattered and honored that you would, and now I have the opportunity to check out your multifaceted artistry. Hmmm … I’d better add more pennies to my piggy bank to split between an upcoming trip and, uhhh, paying for e-book cover design. I want to leap into that cover of yours for your poetry compilation THE WEIGHT OF SNOW (Congratulations on the honor!) When I cough up enough moolah, may I inquire about an estimate — not for the rail fare to somewhere but for your graphic design services? For now, I look forward to reading your poetry for inspiration and illumination. Peace-Chantale

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      1. Thanks, Bri! I’ll check out your samples. I’m a year away from snapping a particular photo for an e-book (because where the images exist is far away), but if I stumble into difficulty with Adobe PhotoShop, I’ll need your professional graphic-arts services. You’re wonderful–thanks again!

      3. I’ll check out your samples, Bri. Thanks! For the e-book currently in progress, I’m farther away in time than I previously had thought on photographing a set of images. Let’s just say that where I desire to capture those images is also far away. If I run into difficulty trying to actualize my vision for the cover, I’ll need your professional graphic-arts services. Thanks for taking this worrisome issue off my mind so that I can return to the writing. 🙂

  30. Thank you for following my blog. While reading your bio, I smiled because I saw similar interests. I’m into photography and I’m studying creative writing. I’d be happy to see what you post next.

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  34. Congratulations on the release your book of poetry! I look forward to reading it. Your home town of Santa Cruz is one of my favorites spots to get away!

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  37. Hello there. Thank for supporting the Pishraft Project! As it is brand new, I hope to be able to turn it into something bigger with time. Really enjoyed reading your posts… Looking forward to reading the next one! Thanks again 🙂

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  41. Thanks for visiting my online writing studio. And for following my work. I’ll endeavor to take a look at B&B for future book projects. Working on an adaptation of Guy de Maupassant’s Boule de Suif for the stage, relocated to Savannah in December 1864. I would think that might not be part of your scope, though. Two other upcoming projects are a YA novel and an historic novel re the diaspora of the French Huguenots to America, based on Elias Horry, an actual refugee from the hard-handed Louis XIV.

    Cheers!
    SM

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      4. Well, thanks to the internet, I can work with people anywhere in the world. Being technologically savvy helps, of course. I have clients all over the US, and I’m located on the West Coast. My most recent clients were located in Illinois and Indiana and Alaska. The beauty is that all of this work can be done at any distance. 🙂

      9. I’m meeting with my publisher for Stinky and the Night Mare tomorrow. It’s an experiment on my part. I realize the publishing world, with the indy writers, et. al., is a vastly different environment than 20 or 30 years ago.

        In the 1970s, I went to NYC and managed to get an agent. But, NYC life is tough, especially with a wife and young child.

        Since, the publishing world has really changed. But I’m not discouraged, because the technical advances of the internet, as well as being able to produce multi-media projects, is exciting.

        Let’s put this conversation on the shelf for a bit, while I focus for the next few weeks on Stinky.

        But, as I have told you, I have LOTS of projects and ideas. Perhaps we can discuss those re your services and skills. You are, after all, on the west coast where many opportunities exist — in many media.

        SM

      10. Sounds great, and I appreciate your interest in my services. Best of luck with your current project and I’m looking forward to hearing back from you in regards to the possibility of working together in the near future.

        Cheers!

      11. In the meantime, as you have access to much of my work, how would you assess my strengths? What areas. And, as important, those that translate into a more commercial reality?

      12. I think the best way to assess your work would be by proximity–I’d have to read your work and become familiar with it, and know your goals and what you’re trying to accomplish. I’d also consider your experience as a whole and how your existing knowledge, your goals, your skills, etc. can come together to attain commercial reality. Of course, there are steps to take if you’re looking to become successful, but it’s all about what you’re willing to do as an author, and ultimately, as your best promoter.

  43. Thanks for following my blog. And congratulations on your book! Santa Cruz is my old stomping grounds from more than twenty years ago. Love that place.

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  47. I would never be late with a “Thank You” note—so I should have been more prompt with: “Thank you for following my blog, “What to Do about Mama?” Since “everyone is a potential caregiver,” I hope that you find the information to be useful in the event that you need to draw upon it someday. I would not say caregiving is an “inspiring” topic, but I do think my book of the same name is a good addition to any reference shelf. Better yet: be prepared. Read it before you think you need it.
    Barb

    Reply

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