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Kaleena
Madruga
Author
Educator
Communications Professional
Provoked by a mysterious ache in the bottom of her foot, Kaleena Madruga begins to investigate the sources of pain in her life. In a series of lyrical essays, she picks her way through dead-end waitressing jobs, a cheating husband, the potential of motherhood, encounters with lobsters, and a trip to the hospital with someone else’s grandmother — all in her quest to face the truth of the question: Does It Hurt?
Praise for Does It Hurt?
‘This book is a mantra written by an old soul with a dazzling new voice. Read it to yourself in a loud whisper...’ - Jessica Anne, Mike Mother & A Manual for Nothing.
‘Madruga captures all the absurdity and exaltation that come with living in a body prone to accidents, aging, injuries, and love.’ - Kathleen Rooney, Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey.
‘Madruga's essays take the reader on a journey through the body, from the hands to the heart and beyond…’ - Suzanne Scanlon, Promising Young Women & Her 37th Year, an Index.
Short Stories & Essays
Select an image to read.
Literary Magazines
Lobsters (3Moon, January 2021)
A Thesaurus (Interstellar, January 2021)
Born (Conium Review, December 2020)
Seasonal Affective Disorder
(ARC, November 2020)
Two Essays (MAKE, November 2020)
Bad Luck (Pest Control, November 2020)
Speak Softly, Do Well
(Low Theory, December 2020)
Two Aliens (Crazyhorse, November 2021)
Nerves (Pile Press, October 2021)
Emily Sweet is a F*cking Idiot
(Feels Blind, January 2021)
Animal Instincts
Same Faces Collective, October 2023)
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