About
Quick Introduction
Harlem-based poet writing about love, damage, and the beautiful mess in between. I make hymns for the river and letters to the ghosts.
The Longer Story
I write from Harlem—nights that smell like rain and streetlight, mornings that start too early. My work lives between tenderness and trouble: gin on the breath, a confession in the mirror, a promise I'm still trying to keep.
I've got a soft spot for broken things and people who keep showing up anyway. My books include Love & Murder and the chapbooks Harlem River Hymns and All the Ghosts of Harlem with Crying Heart Press.
When I read, I try to bring the room with me: low flame, steady rhythm, a little bite at the end. If you've ever loved something that didn't love you back and wrote it down anyway—we already know each other.
For Press & Media
A decade-plus academic ghostwriter behind 1,300+ theses, Jay Pretsch is now releasing his debut novel How I Met Leann under his own imprint, Uptown Press. His poetry includes Love & Murder and the chapbooks Harlem River Hymns and All the Ghosts of Harlem with Crying Heart Press.
For interviews & review copies: press@jay-pretsch.com