Difficult People

Manipulators and liars, egomaniacs, bullies, interrupters, condescenders, ice queens, backstabbers, hypocrites, withholders, belligerents, self-deceivers, whiners, know-it-alls, nitpickers: these are some of the characters you’ll encounter in  Difficult People , a collection of stories that investigates and celebrates difficult people (and some animals). As these characters fumble through their quests for YouTube fame, stand-up glory, romantic love, stable employment or anyone who can tolerate them, they reveal that we are all, in our own ways, difficult people. Praise for Catriona Wright’s recent book of poetry,  Table Manners : “… a baroque feast of juicy diction and inventive wordplay that explores food as social ritual and slippery signifier of desire.” —Barb Carey,  The Toronto Star “Deft, dark, and unflinching, Catriona Wright’s work is stand-up comedy for the mind.” —Emily Schultz, author of  The Blondes “If you've ever Instagrammed your lunch, or directed distain toward somebody who has, this is the book for you. The poems are vivid, surprising, and pretty much devourable.” —Kerry Clare,  49 th Shelf “Tightly woven and elaborate in their conceit, the poems in  Table Manners  linger both on the mind and palate.” —Gillian Sze,  Montreal Review of Books