Karla K. Morton, 2010 Texas State Poet Laureate, has a new book of poems from Dos Gatos Press. Redefining Beauty came out of Morton's journey through her own diagnosis, treatment and recovery from breast cancer.

In a series of passionate and powerful poems, accompanied by photographer Walter Eagleton's black and white images, Redefining Beauty offers readers hope and comfort through its intimate candor, good-humored defiance and unfiltered honesty. A lifelong poet, as well as a wife and mother of two, Morton was diagnosed with breast cancer in May, 2008. In search of information to help her fight the disease, Morton turned to books. She found facts and statistics. She found self-help books. “But I needed more,” she says. “I needed some grit, a leather strap between my teeth. And when I couldn't find what I needed, I simply wrote my way through it.”

Karla K. Morton is a celebrated poet, author and storyteller. She has several upcoming books, including Becoming Superman, Names We've Never Known, and a collection of her works as part of the Poet Laureate series by TCU Press (to be published in 2010). Karla's poetry, which spans many subjects and forms, has also been published in a number of literary journals. She serves on the board of the Greater Denton Arts Council and the Denton Poets' Assembly. As Texas Poet Laureate for 2010, Karla has launched a Little Town, Texas Tour across the state to serve as an ambassador of poetry.