Anthology of verses first posted on Instagram

Catherine Cohen, is this week publishing her debut collection of poems, drawing on similar theme to her-stand up:  life, relationships and the messy business of being a millennial.

God I Feel Modern Tonight, which launches in the UK on Thursday, brings together verses the New York-based comedian and actress has shared on social media since the early days of Instagram. The poems tackle familiar modern anxieties: dating mishaps, phone addiction, heartbreak and the gap between what we think and what we dare say aloud.

One poem recalls a moment with an ex-boyfriend: 

‘One time my ex-boyfriend broke up with me and 
When we got back together
We made out next to a fountain and he said,
"You've gotten better at that" and I said "at kissing?" 
And he said "yeah"
And I laughed and felt very bad'.

Cohen, who is originally from Houston, Texas, has built a following through her stand-up performances in New York's comedy clubs and at the Edinburgh Fringe, where her show Broad Strokes earned critical acclaim. She won the best newcomer award at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards in 2019.

Her television and film work includes appearances in Only Murders in the Building, The Lovebirds, Sirens and High Maintenance. She also cohosts Seek Treatment, a podcast about dating and relationships, and hosts a weekly show at Club Cumming in New York.

Publishers call her 'a Dorothy Parker for our time' and 'a Starbucks philosophe with no primary-care doctor.'

The 288-page collection, subtitled Poems From A Gal About Town, is published by Ebury Spotlight at £12.99 and is available from Amazon priced £11.35 or from bookshop.org, below, which aids independent bookstores.

Published: 10 Feb 2026