Lexi Kent-Monning is an alum of the Tyrant Books workshop Mors Tua Vita Mea in Sezze Romano, Italy. Her work has appeared in Tilted House Review, X-R-A-Y, Little Engines, Schuylkill Valley Journal, Neutral Spaces, and elsewhere. She lives in Brooklyn, NY, and can be found at
lexikentmonning.com. “The Burden of Joy” is an excerpt from her memoir in progress.