“Poetry is the way we help give name to the nameless so it can be thought. The farthest external horizons of our hopes and fears are cobbled by our poems, carved from the rock experiences of our daily lives.” — Audre Lorde

I believe in the power of poetry. I talk a lot about paying attention—noticing—and place, and poets are masters of both.

As a prose writer, reading poetry is an essential part of my writing life. Poetry helps me see the world more clearly and in doing so, helps me see my own thoughts more clearly. It sharpens my attention and resets me. It reminds me what language can do when it’s distilled and clear.

This month, as part of my Recommended Reads, I’m highlighting five female poets published with indie or university presses.

It’s important to me to highlight female voices because the gender gap in the writing world is still very real. It’s important to me to highlight writers outside of mainstream publishing because there is a lot of interesting, risk-taking work happening there that I think should be elevated.

“There’s so much rage in the world now and I’m finding poems to be the place where I want to stay. I rage and rage and then write a poem and return to breathing.” — Ada Limón

Reading poetry, has become a place for me to return to and to pay attention.

Here are five books I love, in alphabetical order:

Mary Ardery, Level Watch. June Road Press, 2025.
I have been obsessing about this book since it came out. Ardery writes about her time as a guide for a women’s substance abuse recovery program in the Blue Ridge Mountains. These poems show realities and power of landscape and recovery. Place and memory braid together here in a way that is haunting, and the ghosts in these poems seem dig into you.

Molly Gaudry, Desire: A Haunting. Ampersand Books, 2018.
This book came on my radar years ago, and does exactly what it promises. The poems spiral, fragment, and return, circling into strange emotions. It’s disorienting but feels very intentional and you end up feeling pulled deeper into something you can’t resist. There are also ghosts in this one, too.

Christine Gelineau, Almanac: A Murmuration. State University of New York Press, 2025.
Gelineau is an accomplished poet and the essays in this collection reflect that. Centered on her horse farm in the upper Susquehanna River Valley, this work seems to moves in patterns—of seasons, of human experiences. Like a murmuration itself, the pieces gather and shift creating meaning through accumulation.

Didi Jackson, My Infinity. Red Hen Press, 2024.
Often set in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Jackson’s poems are steeped in landscape, memory, and grief. The natural world feels deeply entangled with emotion, with loss, with what it means to keep going. I love the juxtaposition of this work, how she delves into themes like beauty and the grotesque, joy and sorrow.

Bianca Stone, What Is Otherwise Infinite. Tin House, 2022.
If you’re not familiar with Stone’s work, you’re in for a treat. She is strange and powerful in the best way. I had the pleasure of hearing her read for several times and she emits this energy that feels electric. This book moves through topics like motherhood, identity, intimacy, and danger, pushing boundaries along the way.

I don’t always know what is going to draw me in—I just know when something hits. So I read widely, and never cease to be amazed at what strikes.

As Emily Dickinson famously said:

“If I feel physically as if the top of my head were taken off, I know that is poetry.”

That’s what I’m looking for.

Who are your favorite poets or favorite works from poets?

Bonus points for women poets or poets publishing with indie/university presses. Drop them below ⬇️

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It is March, spring has arrived in my area of the world, and I’m having flashbacks to a recent trip to Ireland—the glowing green of the meadows, the crashing waves of the ocean, and the feeling that everything is ancient is still very much alive. I’d love to share with you some of my favorite contemporary Irish writers, whose work seems to carry that same atmosphere: intimate, sharp, and a little haunting.

Many of the Irish authors I love write in small moments that bring big revelations and reveal place through clear concise prose. Some of the works I love include:

“Love Object” by Edna O’Brien (The New Yorker, May 6, 1967)
This was the first story that introduced me to O’Brien and it is still my favorite. The story is about a woman having a relationship with a married man and presses on longing, loneliness, and power imbalances with such emotional clarity. What is most unerving about this piece is how she is able to show how easy it is to fool ourselves.

“Treaty,” by Colum McCann from Thirteen Ways of Looking (2015)
McCann has many other pieces that are more well-known, but what strikes me about this piece is how he shows past trauma reaching into the present. When a nun sees her assaulter on television, now a well-known diplomat, she becomes fixated on confronting him. This piece made me wrestle with questions like can we ever really leave trauma behind, are we allowed to start over, and can confrontation become an obsession?

So Late in the Day: Stories of Women and Men by Claire Keegan (2023)
Keegan is a master of place through the use of concrete images. Her prose is spare but exacting, and the quietness of her pieces make the emotional impact even greater. Though all of her work is wonderful, this collection is my favorite because of its focus on complex gender dynamics. The stories are varied, addressing resentment, love, violence, and lust.

Normal People by Sally Rooney (2018)
Sally Rooney fever hit some years back, but if you missed the wave, here’s a nudge to jump on board. Normal People, a coming of age story about the somewhat dysfunction relationship between the wealthy Marianne and popular Connell, is my favorite Rooney book. She has a way of needling into unspoken tensions, miscommunication, longing, desire, comfort, and all of that juicy stuff that comes in relationships.

Lying in my To-Be-Read pile:

Bright I Burn by Molly Aitken (2024)
I’m a sucker for feminist retellings, so I am drawn to this novel about Alice Kyteler, the first woman in Ireland condemned as a witch. What interests me most is that this book looks at how a woman in the 13th century with ambition and some power is someone labeled as dangerous. I’m curious to see how Aitken handles that tension.

What other works from Irish authors should be in my TBR pile? If you have favorites I should add, I’d love to hear!

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Yesterday was the Winter Solstice, the longest night of the year, and as we settle into these colder days, I’ve been reminding myself that winter is the season of rest, focus, and stillness—a time for gazing inward and conserving energy. We shift our practices and our mindsets to meet the darker days with calm and clarity. Which all sounds wonderful… until life intervenes.

Lately, it has for me. An illness, the holidays, and a handful of unexpected events knocked me off balance recently and that quiet, grounded inner peace I talk about to my yoga students felt suddenly out of reach.

Part of that struggle is perfectionism, which I wrote about last time, that voice that keeps track of every day I didn’t do the thing I promised myself I would do over break (finish my project). But another part of it is simpler: I’m tired. In a creative life where I’m juggling full-time work, parenting, partnering, teaching, and writing, I find myself craving winter rest more than productivity.

I know I’m not alone in this. Many of us feel the seasonal pull to slow down, soften our pace, to get a little cozier with our lives. Writer Beth Kempton even has an entire podcast devoted to this idea—embracing winter as a time of gentleness.

The coziest way I can think of to stay connected to the writing world but also give my productivity a rest (other than daydreaming about refurbishing old typewriters), is reading.

Reading has always been the most restorative part of my life. When I’m too tired to write, too overwhelmed to do life, I open a book and let it carry me. Reading asks very little of us, but it gives a lot back. And it reminds me why I wanted to be a creator in the first place.

Reading books is also a gentle way to stay connected to the literary community without burning out. It supports authors—especially those published by small or independent presses—without requiring any extra energy.

So, here are five books I read this year—books that felt especially suited to this season.

Five Books That Kept Me Company This Year

Uplifting and Reflective Reads

The Book of Delights – Ross Gay (2019/2022 paperback)
During a particularly difficult time, Gay challenged himself to write an essay about delight every day for a year—and what came of it is this collection of bite-sized essays that leave you with a gut-punch of empathy. He has gone on to write Inciting Joy and The Book of (More) Delights.
For readers who want to notice the small joys in everyday life and come away feeling lighter and more connected to the world.

The Comfort of Crows – Margaret Renkl (2023)*
Renkl writes fifty-two short lyrical essays following the plants and animals of her backyard over the course of a year. This season-by-season meditation reflects on the joy in everyday beauty, grief at the loss of species, and the rhythms of life as birds call, leaves fall, and seasons shift.
For readers who find solace in nature, the small wonders of life, and reflective, restorative storytelling.

*Another great cozy Rekl read is her memoir, Late Migrations, which I reviewed here.

Stories of Memory, Mystery, and Human Connection

Tom Lake – Ann Patchett (2023)
Ann Patchett has this way of corkscrewing her characters so far into your mind that you can’t help but feel a part of their world. Tom Lake is set on a cherry farm during the pandemic, told from the perspective of a mother recounting her early acting career and the love and loss of that time—a quiet, reflective mystery that unfolds through memory, secrets, and the unexpected twists of life.
For readers who are drawn to stories about the lives we almost lived and the subtle mysteries of human experience.

I Have Some Questions for You – Rebecca Makkai (2023)
I heard Rebecca Makkai read at the Wilkes University residency last year and was captivated by the way she spills her stories. This murder mystery draws you in with its puzzle, rich characters, subtle secrets, a healthy dose of feminine rage, and the satisfying unraveling of hidden histories.
For readers who enjoy character-driven mysteries with dark academia vibes, clever twists, and a sharp, observant perspective on human behavior.

For Writers and Creatives

The Mindful Writer – Dinty Moore (2016)
I picked up this pocket-sized book at a literary conference a few years ago and found it to be a beautiful mash-up of teaching mindfulness and writing. Full of creative inspiration, resonant quotes, short essays, and writing prompts, it encourages paying attention to both craft and life.
For readers who want to nurture their creativity while exploring mindfulness, self-reflection, and the art of writing.

I hope you dig into some of these suggestions. I’m always on the lookout for more reads, and I’d love to hear from you. What book would you recommend for this season?