Dark Sparkler

"With frank observations and blunt commentary, Tamblyn has created a smartly crafted collection, proving that she is a savvy and fierce woman and poet who knows that behind every spotlight is shadow." -- Booklist

"Dark Sparkler is an elegy, a eulogy, a rhapsody, a rage. In these astonishing poems inspired by dead actresses, Tamblyn fiercely examines the spectacle of the actress as she lives and dies and how our hands and hearts linger on their lives."-- Roxane Gay, author of New York Times bestseller Bad Feminist

The lives of more than twenty-five actresses lost before their time--from Marilyn Monroe to Brittany Murphy--explored in a haunting, provocative new work by an acclaimed poet and award-winning actress, and paired with 12 original, four-color pieces of artwork commissioned for the book by luminaries including David Lynch, Adrian Tomine, and Marcel Dzama.

As a woman who has grown up in the spotlight, Amber Tamblyn is deeply fascinated by--and intimately familiar with--the toll exacted from young women whose lives are offered in sacrifice as starlets. The stories of these actresses, both famous and obscure--tragic stories of suicide, murder, obscurity, and other forms of death--inspired this empathic and emotionally charged collection of new poetic work.

Featuring subjects from Marilyn Monroe and Frances Farmer to Dana Plato and Brittany Murphy--and paired with original artwork commissioned for the book--Dark Sparkler is a surprising and provocative collection from a young artist of wide-ranging talent, culminating in an extended, confessional epilogue of astonishing candor and poetic command.

What is the true cost of being a woman in the spotlight?

• The Cost of Fame: Through the lens of her own experience as an actress, Amber Tamblyn examines the toll exacted on over twenty-five starlets sacrificed to the machine of celebrity culture.
• Haunting Tributes: Elegies and eulogies for both iconic and forgotten actresses, from Marilyn Monroe and Sharon Tate to the lesser-known stories of Peg Entwistle and Dana Plato.
• Original Artwork: Features twelve provocative, full-color pieces commissioned for the book from artists like visionary filmmaker David Lynch and graphic novelist Adrian Tomine.
• Unflinching Honesty: Culminates in a raw, confessional epilogue where the author confronts her own relationship with Hollywood, fame, and survival.