Persephone Made Me Do It

Trista Mateer is an American poet and author from Maryland known for emotionally direct, intimate poetry about love, loss, grief, and self-discovery. Her collections include Honeybee (Central Avenue Publishing, 2015), The Dogs I Have Kissed (Central Avenue, 2016), and Aphrodite Made Me Do It (Central Avenue, 2019), a myth-inspired retelling that reimagines the goddess's stories through a contemporary lens. Mateer's work has resonated with a generation of young readers through its accessible verse and honest engagement with trauma, queer identity, and mental health. She also runs a popular Patreon and has built a community around her writing workshops.