Whoa, it's been a while! Since I last popped in here with an update I've changed jobs, visited my 40th Virginia State Park, (Machicomoco), adopted a new kitten, been double boosted, completed my Master Naturalist certification, (!), and had my fifth poetry collection accepted for publication! I'm excited to announce my collection Teaching a Wild Thing will be coming out this fall from Kelsay Books. They did such a beautiful job with In the Meat Years, that I'm happy they'll be caring for this collection, as well. So here's a cover reveal. My talented husband designed the cover and I'm in love with it. It's just the right amount of moody and magical and it captures the wildness in the book just perfectly.
Many of these poems were written at the height of the pandemic. Even as I was riddled with anxiety I was fortunate to be spending every day in the woods serving with the Virginia Service Conservation Corps. The collection encompasses some of my Trail Quest journey through Virginia State Parks and the poems are full of worry, loss, anxiety, joy, hope, wilderness, wandering and light, I'm delighted it's alive.
Stay tuned for updates on the release date, launch party details and readings. In the meantime, here's the cover and an obligatory cat photo. (Our new baby, Waffles).