charles theonia

  • poems
  • criticism + conversations
  • editing

Archway Editions, 2024

"[L]ike Martin Wong, among many other sources of art and hope, charles theonia digs the way firemen smell, listens for sounds waiting for an open mouth, and knows 'Begin can be replaced with any word that brings you closer.' This book is a companion for life."

- Anselm Berrigan​



Belladonna* Collaborative, 2023



some poems online




Excerpts from "Gay Heaven Is a Dance Floor but I Can't Relax" - Copenhagen


"I Fell to the Earth Mouth First" – Archway Editions


Excerpts from "Normal Girls" – Small Press Traffic


"Mouth Weather," "Open Hours," and "Truth Game" – The Brooklyn Rail


More from "Gay Heaven" - Black Warrior Review


"What Is Glitter?," "Lily Pad," and "Earthly Reasons" – Tagvverk


"The Color of Joy is Pink" – Guts Magazine


"Are You Hearing It Now" – Social Text


"Ocean Hallway" and "Self Timer / You Peek Out" – The Feelings Journal


"Clear Weather," "2003," and "1989" – Women & Performance


"Light Study in One Breath," "The People's Beach," and "Big Heat" – Triangle House Review





and in print




The Texas Review


Oversound Issue Seven


We Want It All: An Anthology of Radical Trans Poetics (Nightboat Books)


Brooklyn Poets Anthology (Brooklyn Arts Press)



Saw Palmettos



an art book with Container Press, 2018