Black bras and broken glass create the atmosphere for Amphetamine Heart. Liz Worth’s new poetry collection explores the urgency of paranoia and self-harm and is appropriately dedicated to her “old friend insomnia.”

“[It’s] kind of peeking into someone’s journal or getting a sense of things they dreamed of last night,” Worth said of the collection. “I think that really is what poetry is, little flashes of someone’s life. It comes out short and it comes out fast.”

Amphetamine Heart is Worth’s second release, following 2010’s Treat Me Like Dirt: An Oral History of Punk in Toronto and Beyond. Worth said she realizes that many people are turned off at the thought of reading poetry.

“I think sometimes people hear the word poetry and get a little scared off,” she said. “I think they think, ‘I don’t read poetry’ so it won’t apply to them or they won’t understand it. But with this I keep telling people ‘Think of it as punk or heavy metal that you read instead of listen to.’”

Worth will read her poetry tomorrow night at the Artel for the Night of Dark Literary Arts event. The event will feature a reading from Worth and a question and answer session with Liisa Ladouceur, who just published the Encyclopedia Gothica. Music will be provided by DJ Bill Gillespie.

“I think music is something that is really important for Liisa and I,” Worth said. “She has a book that is a gothic encyclopedia and that’s all about subculture. For that subculture music is a huge factor.

“In terms of my own writing, music’s always played a big part. My first book is an oral history of punk in Toronto. Even though this time around I’m coming out with a poetry collection, that poetry collection is very influenced by punk rock and heavy metal.”

Despite Amphetamine Heart being a work of poetry, Worth’s reading tomorrow night will be set to music.

“Instead of just doing a straight reading I have a theremin, which is an electronic instrument that kind of makes really weird noises,” she said. “I set some pieces to that so there’s kind of an ambient sound happening.”

After her reading, Worth said she hopes to connect with some of the audience members.

“That’s really the most you can ask for in any kind of author event,” she said. “It’s a really good chance to get to talk to people face to face because when you’re an author you don’t always get, to see a lot of people. It’s quiet work and its lonely work.”

A Night of Dark Literary Art at the Artel is tomorrow night and features Liz Worth, Liisa Ladouceur, Bill Gillespie and local poet Barry King.