How to make a collaboration work: Laura Esther Sciortino and Aubree Holliman interviewed by Jen Knox

Send & Respond, A COLLABORATION (video and sample)

Control Freaks

by Laura Esther Sciortino

Control sits across from Freak at the table

Deciding who will get the bigger slice of cake

I wish I were their mother in apron, pulling each

spoiled boy, unsated, from his collar

To show how to bake from scratch

What it takes to sift ingredients

To stand side by side and crack eggs

Recognizing what fertility is and is not

In the magic of a kitchen

Where fire is love and nourishment

They would be relieved, finally

Of craven grabbing snatching

Butter fingers and all, and finally know

My body makes life, or does not, damn it

And is sovereign. Not theirs.

Then may they taste cake.

Response Collage by Aubree Holliman

Poem and image excerpted from Send & Respond, A COLLABORATION with permission from the publisher.

Send & Respond is the result of a correspondence between collage artist Aubree Holliman and poet Laura Esther Sciortino. If you purchase a copy by 7/27, you will receive complimentary admission to Aubree and Laura’s online collage and poetry workshop, Make It Happen, on 9/27.

Send & Respond may be purchased at lauraesthersciortino.com OR ahhaitsaubree.com.

Aubree Holliman is a graphic designer who likes to get away from the computer to do collage art and letterpress printing. She is also an instructor of graphic design at Portland Community College. Aubree lives with her family in Portland, Oregon. To learn more and get in touch, reach out to Aubree at ahhaitsaubree.com or connect @ahhaitsaubree

Laura Esther Sciortino writes poetry, fiction, and essay. Laura loves to improvise live typewriter poetry for people at events and celebrations. She’s also a writing coach, editor and consultant. Laura lives with her family in Portland, Oregon. To learn more and get in touch, reach out to Laura at TheTypewriterPoet.org or connect @thetypewriterpoetpdx

Jen Knox is the Founder and Executive Director of Unleash. Her first novel, We Arrive Uninvited, won the Steel Toe Books Award, and her second novel, Chaos Magic, was recently released by Kallisto Gaia Press. Her first collection of essays, AT WORK, will be released in 2027 by Cornerstone Press UWSP. Read Jen’s Substack on writing here.

Join us October 24 & 25, 2025 for two days of connection and creativity while learning from many amazing writers, including Laura!