Published in May 2025.

PTSD Martini is a collection of poetry that explores the overarching themes of war, trauma, healing, gun violence, immigration, and identity. The poems in this collection seek to capture the emotional range of war and immigrant experiences, interweaving Slavic folklore, war diaries, and uniquely Balkan stories of love and loss. The result is a hard-earned celebration of resilience and the beauty evident in even harshest of situations. The poems are often presented from a perspective of a child, yet are bold and contemporary enough in a sense that they pose some provocative ethical questions, especially in the context of immigrant (non)adjustment to life in modern-day America. These observations are offered to the reader as a testament of a tender healing journey, with some universal, introspective insights.

Miraculously seeped in love and care, this debut collection is a hand-crafted cocktail—easy to drink though it carries a realistic splash of bitters and brine. Walking in Cvencek’s shoes is easier than one might think, not due to ease—for there is plenty of pain—but because they fit just right.

— Rhea Melina, author of found confetti

Dario Cvencek is an immigrant poet from the Balkans. He started writing poetry in high school, inspired by his growing up during the Bosnian War in the 1990s, and his subsequent experiences as a refugee of war and an immigrant in Germany and United States. In his poems, he explores the themes of war, trauma, healing, identity, gun violence, immigration, nature, and love. His work has appeared in Rising Phoenix Review, Ambrosia Zine, Gnashing Teeth Publishing, Ancient Tech News, Beyond Words Magazine, ANARKISS Magazine, The Split Mind, and others. He lives and works in Seattle, WA. This is his first full-length collection of poetry.

Paperback: $20. ISBN: 9781300586685

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