Alex Poppe je učitelkou a tvůrčí inspirátorkou, jejíž inspirací pro její práci jsou místa a lidé, které potkala během svého působení jako učitelka v Polsku, Turecku, na Ukrajině, v severním Iráku, na Západním břehu Jordánu, v Německu a ve Spojených státech. Její fikce i non-fikce se objevily v časopisech na obou stranách Atlantiku a byla nominována na několik cen. Když není vyhazována z náklaďáků s potravinovou pomocí nebo nevečeří s kurdskými nájemnými zabijáky s pistolí u pasu, píše.
"Jinwar is a feminist collective that has formed in northern Syria (Western Kurdistan) near the village of Afrin and the border with Turkey. Here, the character in Alex Poppe's lead story comes for solace and healing after suffering sexual abuse in the US military"-- Provided by publisher
Sixteen-year-old Lava lives peacefully enough with her imperfect mother, Lila, and their boarder, Cody, an Iraqi war vet suffering from PTSD. Lava's ex-addict father, Jesse, is released from prison, and Lava's life in Detroit is upended when Jesse pressures Lava for her urine so he can pass his mandatory drug tests. After an altercation, Lava is sent to live with her mother's cousin Lola in Seville. Lola is a larger-than-life flamenco dancer who teaches Lava the language of flamenco dance; Lava's life opens outward as she becomes fluent in flamenco's structure, giving her new modes of expression as she experiences first love, friendship, and betrayal, and uncovers family secrets. Rich with lyrical, sensual prose, Duende is a coming-of-age novella about mothers and daughters, about legacy, about self-expression, about defining a way to live