Andrea is a mess of contradictions, fan of parallel structure, and nostalgic pack rat who writes poetry about punk rock kids and takes photos of forgotten places. She believes in the beauty of the ordinary, the power of the vernacular, and the history of the abandoned. Through her work, she strives to prove that poetry can be dirty, gritty, and accessible by revealing the art in what we see, say, do, ignore, and forget every day. 

Raised by rock and roll parents, she learned the importance of going to concerts and ignoring the “no trespassing” signs in her childhood. She spent her adolescence in a small town punk rock scene where she moshed, fell in love, and produced a few cut-and-paste zines, before escaping to New York City and causing a ruckus in Alphabet City. After meeting her husband in one of those Chelsea bars she has settled in Pittsburgh, is at the whim of a feisty terrier, works in tech, and still prefers Jameson neat. 

After paying a few universities way too much tuition, they granted her several degrees in creative writing. When her education was complete, she started garnering some publishing credits, including a sold out run of her first book, ‘Mix Tapes and Photo Albums: Memories from a small town scene’. 

‘Short Skirts and Whiskey Shots’ picks up from where ‘Mix tapes…’ left off.

She is uncomfortable talking about herself, even in third person.

www.andreajanov.com