Alicia Cook is a poet, essayist and activist. She is best known for writing bestselling book ''Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately'' and for spreading awareness on the impact of drug addiction.

Education

Cook has a bachelor's degree in English Literature from

Georgian Court University Georgian Court University (GCU or Georgian Court) is a private Catholic university in Lakewood Township, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1908 by the Sisters of Mercy, the university has more than 1,600 undergraduates and nearly 600 gr ...

and an MBA from

Saint Peter's University Saint Peter's University is a private Jesuit university in Jersey City, New Jersey, United States. Founded as Saint Peter's College in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, the university offers over 60 undergraduate and graduate programs to more than ...

. She was named Distinguished Alumni of the Year in 2020 by Georgian Court and was their commencement speaker in 2021.

Career

Cook's writing often explores grief, addiction, healing, and mental health. Her poetry is characterized by "direct, unflinching honesty and rich compassion." In 2016, Cook released poetry collection ''Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately''. The book tackled life, death, love, trauma and growth. It is split into two parts, part A contains original poems while part B were remixes of poems found in part A. The book was a finalist for

Goodreads Choice Awards The Goodreads Choice Awards is a yearly award program, first launched on Goodreads in 2009. Winners are determined by crowdvoting, users voting on books that Goodreads has nominated or books of their choosing, released in the given year. Most boo ...

. Cook is also known for intersecting music and poetry. She was the main subject in ''A Family Disease,'' an episode of the documentary series ''Here's the Story'' on

PBS The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...

. The episode focused on her advocacy and the ten year anniversary of the death of her cousin. Cook released ''The Other Side of Addiction'' in 2017. It is a collection of essays about drug addiction. The book informs and comforts people who are affected by addiction, especially the families of who witnessed heir loved ones suffer in addiction. In 2018, her second poetry book ''I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip'' was released by

Andrews McMeel Publishing Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC (formerly Andrews, McMeel and Parker (1975–1986) and Andrews and McMeel (1986–1997)) is a company that publishes books, calendars, and related toys. It is a part of Andrews McMeel Universal, which comprises A ...

. In 2019, Cook went viral with the poem ''Sorry I haven't texted you back''. She released a poetry book of the same name in October 2020. It was a semi-finalist in the

. In 2022, Cook contributed an essay titled ''Why I Left'' to the anthology ''New Jersey Fan Club: Artists and Writers Celebrate the Garden State'' (Rutgers University Press 2022) about her complicated feelings on her hometown. On January 9, 2024, Cook released the third and final book in her "mixtape" poetry series, entitled ''The Music Was Just Getting Good'.'' Cook's writing success and efforts to combat the opioid epidemic earned her recognitions. This includes a Women with Voices Award from the Women with Voices Foundation and a "special voices" award from NJPBS. She was also a "public health hero" finalist by NJBIZ. In 2023 she received a "40 under 40" award from

The Irish Echo ''The Irish Echo'' is a weekly Irish-American newspaper based in Manhattan in the United States. In 2007, Máirtín Ó Muilleoir, Irish businessman and publisher of the '' Andersonstown News'', purchased the paper. Founded in 1928, it bills i ...

Bibliography

*''Stuff I've Been Feeling Lately'' *''Heroin Is the Worst Thing to Ever Happen to Me: A Collection of Essays'' *''I Hope My Voice Doesn't Skip'' *''Sorry I Haven't Texted You Back'' *''New Jersey Fan Club: Artists and Writers Celebrate the Garden State'' *''The Music Was Just Getting Good''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cook, Alicia Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Place of birth missing (living people) Nationality missing American women poets American women essayists Georgian Court University alumni Saint Peter's University alumni