Amber Dawn's first novel Sub Rosa was based on the author's experience as a sex worker in the 1990s and early 2000s, and on her coming out as lesbian. How Poetry Saved My Life reveals an even more poignant and personal landscape--the terrain of sex work, queer identity, and survivor pride. This story, told in prose and poetry, offers a frank, multifaceted portrait of the author's experiences hustling the streets of Vancouver, and the how those years took away her self-esteem and nearly destroyed her; at the crux of this autobiographical narrative is the tender celebration of poetry and literature, which--as the title suggests--acted as a lifeline during her most pivotal moments. As raw and fiery as its author, How Poetry Saved My Life is a powerful account of survival and the transformative power of literature.