Tangled by Blood

Winner of the 2026 Literary Titan Award

Rebecca Evans’s Tangled by Blood: A Memoir in Verse has been honored with the Literary Titan Book Award, recognizing a powerful and uncompromising work that brings lyrical precision, emotional depth, and fearless storytelling to the page. In this acclaimed memoir in verse, Evans delivers a deeply affecting exploration of betrayal, survival, motherhood, and the long, difficult work of reclaiming one’s story.

Some stories are too difficult to tell straight forward, and Tangled by Blood embraces that truth with remarkable artistry. The book follows the journey of a daughter, Rebecca, as she confronts the betrayal of her mother and the painful legacy of childhood deceit. As memories of her adopted sister’s fierce protection resurface, and as Rebecca herself becomes a mother, she begins the difficult process of untangling old wounds and re-storying what it means to love, protect, and endure. Through poetry and prose, the memoir examines abuse, sexual trauma, addiction, suicide, and fractured intimacy, offering readers not a simplified redemption arc, but a hard-earned testament to love, resilience, and truth.

In its review, Literary Titan praised the book as “a harrowing and lyrical excavation” of childhood trauma and womanhood shaped in its aftermath. The review highlights Evans’s unflinching voice, her emotionally resonant shifting perspectives, and her ability to transform pain into art that is both intimate and socially urgent. Literary Titan further recognized Tangled by Blood as “an emotionally stirring book” and commended Evans for creating a work that is “both a confession and a cathedral,” offering a necessary and unforgettable song of survival.

This award underscores the significance of Evans’s contribution to contemporary memoir and poetry. Tangled by Blood stands apart for its formal daring and emotional honesty, illuminating the realities of trauma while also examining the complexities of mothering, memory, and generational healing. Readers of memoir, poetry, and survivor-centered literature will find in Evans’s work a voice that is fierce, compassionate, and impossible to ignore.”

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Poetic Reading & Performance

Tangled by Blood was delivered as a poetic performance embodying this memoir-in-verse.

The performance featured dancers from Off Center Dance.

And So It Began…

So it began…

I met with Kelli Brown late Autumn, 2022. This would be a first of many meetings. I told her about my book, Tangled by Blood, and shared my hope. I longed for a performance from this memoir in verse. I told her, “This is not an easy read. I know this. I’m reaching out to you with the idea that a performance between poems could offer some reprieve, a place for the audience to breathe.”

Kelli nodded. She listened.

I continued, “I believe in the power of this book. It’s about childhood sexual trauma. It’s about the betrayal of a mother who could not, would not protect her daughter. It’s a love letter to an older, adopted sister, who pushed her bed between the bedroom door and her little sister, me, and took the brunt of abuse. It’s a story that is, sadly, far too common and worse, still too silenced.”

Kelli responded, “Well. We have to do this.”

And so she did. She gathered Lisa Whitwell and Madi Miller, all of them performers with Off Center Dance, and the curation began.

I selected 14 poems for the performance and book launch.

Each performer embodied one of the shifting POVs, the voice of the mother, of the sister (Tina), and of younger me (Beckalah).

I chose to not interrupt the creative process of the performers, believing it far more powerful for each to interpret the poems themselves.

Early in the process, Kelli sent this message:

“Rebecca: 

We started reading each section with each other…. to say we were emotionally impacted is an understatement. I don’t have the words to express my sadness, happiness for your inner strength, the sacrifices of Tina, the sadness AND betrayal of your mother… so much more. Thank you for letting us be part of this. Thank you for sharing…

We hope to honor you and will be checking in through the process.”

a few rehearsal clips

Dress Rehearsal

The Performance at MING Studios

To see my narrative performed felt like an ocean, my heart full, my childhood story no longer held in only my body. These three performers shared my experience, held my story for me in order to tell it to the world.

For this I am forever grateful.

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The Performers