WillieWorld, Maggie Dubris’ book-length poem/prose poem was released by Cuz Editions in NYC in 1998.  The book was an outgrowth of Ms. Dubris' ten years of work as an ambulance driver in New York City's Hell's Kitchen.  It is a gritty and stunning portrait of the horrors and miracles found in America's abandoned inner cities.
 

Ms. Dubris received the Margolis Award when WillieWorld seemed unlikely to be published.  “Winning the Margolis Award was really an emotional boost for me, someone saying that they believed what I was doing with this poem, that it was important enough to recognize and give an award to. Receiving this award helped me to stay committed to trying to get the poem published as a book.”

She returned to Blue Mountain Center in 1998 to complete her novel Skels,  about a medic and a homeless man in New York City.  Her novel continues where WillieWorld left off, filling out her story with a wider vision, one that includes a large dose of the humor necessary to survive in America's troubled cities.

In 2001, Maggie won a National Endowment for the Arts Literature fellowship in poetry, and in 2002, she published Weep Not, My Wanton, which contains eight short stories as as well as a re-edition of her prose-poem, Willieworld.

She recently completed a screenplay, The First Strange Adventure of The Bird, with writing partner Felicity Seidel, and an illustrated book, In The Dust Zone, with artist Scott Gillis. In addition, she created the Vanishing Birds Project with artist Linda Byrne, and is collaboration on a mixed media book with artist Annie Silverman about vanishing pollinators.

For ten years Maggie was the guitarist/songwriter for the now defunct New York band Homer Erotic (Homerica the Beautiful, Depth of Field records, 1999), and she is now working on several musical projects, including a collaborative CD with fiddler/composer Lisa Gutkin, and songs with musician/songwriters Jeanie Putnam and David Hammond.

Living in the East Village is always an adventure, as she reports, ”It's noisy and there are thousands of homeless people, garbage piled up all over, sirens, motorcycles and screaming fights day and night.  Plus the landlord is always hiring complete madmen and crack addicts to do repairs on the building which is falling down around us and keeps bursting into flame.  But they do sell great coffee at the Egyptian Deli downstairs.”