purga:, by aleh gallardo

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

purga: means to expel or rid a body of waste. If not discarded, a collection of waste can produce leachate (which pollutes the soil) and can cause dis-eases. Through a collection of poems and fragmented writings, this chapbook unravels the remnants of grief, memory, and past selves. Each piece moves through cycles of destruction and renewal, urging the reader to let go, not with regret, but with a quiet understanding that some things must be released to make space for what comes next.  

The language in purga: is sharp and deliberate. It does not romanticize the past—it tears it apart, repurposing its remains into something fertile, something to build upon in the future. This collection asks: What happens when we stop salvaging and start surrendering? What might we become when we are no longer weighed down by what we were?  

With a style that is both intense and intimate, purga: speaks to anyone who has ever felt trapped by their own history. It is an act of literary catharsis—a reckoning with loss, love, and the quiet violence of moving forward.

aleh is an emerging author known for their vulnerability and meditative thought. Their debut work, purga:, delves into their grief and growth as a human soul. Based in Los Angeles, CA, aleh enjoys matcha lattes and basking in the sun. She continuously explores expression and reflection through photography, videography, writing, scrapbooking, and is always seeking new creative inspirations.