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The Smell of the Light Blue House in SummertimeGrief. Trauma. Growth. Loss. Change.
Self-publishing his debut book, The Smell of the Light Blue House in Summertime, at the age of 19, Colby Flade brings a new element of creative writing to the table. With captivating poetry and transcendent short stories, Flade ushers readers into an original tale of self-development, challenge, and trauma. Jan. 2021 “Flade goes for it, falls into it, owns it, and shares it. The book is raw. It is well put together, and makes you feel like in your darkest hours, he may have been able to see you there. It takes great strength and courage not only to go down into the shadow side of it all, but to write about it and tell about it. It requires great inner strength to put yourself out there for all the world to see. Flade did that. I commend that. The writing itself is beautiful. Well done.” - Emily A. Francis, Author of Whole Body Healing and Healing Ourselves Whole. |
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MentholIn his sophomore book of poetry and short stories, Menthol, Colby Flade explores how we, as humans, cope with change, curiosity, struggle, identity, health, and life as we know it. Flade invites readers into a world of philosophical storytelling, from brief verses, to detailed compositions… Menthol will take you on an indispensable and relatable journey of darkness, thinking, feeling, and possibility.
Feb. 2022 Foreword by Becky Curl Featuring Poems by Stephanie Flade |
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Short Sweet Simple: Love PoemsShort Sweet Simple: Love Poems is exactly that… a collection of short, sweet, and simple love poetry. Written in under twenty-four hours in the dead of winter last year, this debut poetry chapbook by queer poet, Colby Flade, sheds a unique light on a feeling most of us are familiar with: love.
Though brief, the entrancing verses that reside within the pages of this work aim to resonate with every being who chooses to ingest them. Some may seem sad. Some may seem happy. Some may seem like they are not even about love. But they are. Because love is sad. Love is happy. Love is everything, and nothing. Love is good… except for when it’s not. So these poems are about love, despite the few melancholic ones. Bad love, sad love, good love, love for others, love for yourself, loss of love… however you interpret this book, whatever you make of it, the most important thing to know is that you are loved, always… that is the only thing that matters. Dec. 2022 Published by Bottlecap Press |
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The Fly & Odor: Two Stories, One Book The Fly:
In a small town, where it has rained each day for the past month, a fly burrows deep into someone's ear, and never comes out... Odor: Strange things happen after a woman gives birth to her daughter in the dead of night while her husband is away... Oct. 2023
Published by Beyond Words Lit ** U.S.A edition coming soon; will be available for purchase globally on Amazon. |
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It's A Blue, Blue World “This collection includes poems that vary in form and voice, but they cohere through recurrent images, common themes, and a consistent attention to the music of the lines. They present a speaker who is resilient, often funny, and thoughtful about hope and comfort. These poems don’t offer easy answers. There is no panacea for loneliness, abandonment, and bone-chilling cold. Hope can let you down, but it isn’t what hope produces that matters as much as having the balls to hope despite all the evidence to the contrary. In It’s a Blue, Blue World, hope is an act of rebellion; what the heart does when it won’t settle for the bullshit rejection, the wolves and bears and abandoning mothers, the world has offered. Hope is what comes after a deep and clear-eyed study of winter. It’s a comforting thought.”
— Nicole Zdeb, author of The Friction of Distance (2011) & Tremulous Landscapes (Airlie Press, 2025); @nicole_zdeb “Flade’s poetry feels empowering, layered, charismatic, but without sacrificing the real pain he is experiencing. A collection of poems that will hold you.” — Nicole Cullinan, 2nd Prize Recipient at The Moonee Valley Art Show 2023 for Best Photograph - Urban Waste; @nicolecullinanposts Jan. 2024 It's A Blue, Blue World was thoughtfully reviewed by an inspiring group of artists and authors, including Becky Curl, Nicole Zdeb, Jessica Lardizabal, Kera Sanchez, Emily A. Francis, Nicole Cullinan, Ervin Brown, Emma McNamara, Britt Clemens Ryal, Brianna Janice, Jeff Prickett, and Konner Sauve. |
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Café Quatrains: Sip While You Read
Sip While You Read…
Meant to be enjoyed at your favorite local coffee shop, sipping a latte or matcha or a mug of freshly steeped tea, Café Quatrains provides a moment of stillness in a world that moves far too quickly at times. This short, sweet, and simple chapbook makes for a great gift, perfect for the upcoming holiday season. Oct. 2025 Published by Bottlecap Press |
