Dear John: A Retrospective, Katie Jean Shinkle
January, 2027
12 pages
Through the voyeuristic framework of wandering art museums in a large city on a summer afternoon in a state of eros, the sequence in Dear John: A Retrospective investigates the following: How do we reconcile a longing without possession? What happens to displaced queer desire in the moments before materialization or heartbreak?
Katie Jean Shinkle’s chapbooks include The Only Way Out is Through (YesYes Books, 2026) and Transference (Gasher Press, 2025). Her work has received support from Lambda Literary and Ragdale, and she serves as co-poetry editor of DIAGRAM. Excerpts of Dear John: A Retrospective have appeared in or are forthcoming from Barrow Street and Luna Luna Magazine.