The Haunted Forest Trilogy

by Jarod K. Anderson

Bats can hear shapes.
Plants can eat light.
Bees can dance maps.

We can hold all these ideas at once
and feel both heavy and weightless
with the absurd beauty of it all.


This three-book poetry collection is comprised of Field Guide to the Haunted Forest (2020), Love Notes from the Hollow Tree (2022), and Leaf Litter (2023), collectively known as The Haunted Forest Trilogy. Jarod K. Anderson's best-selling nature poetry is celebrated by readers for its clarity, insight, and warmth. Vivid and approachable, the work gathered here invites readers to rediscover commonplace wonders and find new meaning in topics ranging from moss to mortality.

The poems in this trilogy highlight our connection to a living universe and affirm our place in a wilderness worthy of our love.

Genres: Poetry, Nature

264 pages, Hardcover

Published August 9, 2024

About the author

Jarod K. Anderson is a strange mix of fantasy nerd, nature writer, podcaster, poet, and erstwhile academic. He once accidentally picked up a rattlesnake and has slept in the branches of a maple tree more than most writers. He created and voices The CryptoNaturalist podcast, a show about real love for imaginary nature, and he regularly shares his poems and prose on social media. He has published three books of poetry as well as the memoir Something in the Woods Loves You, about his lifelong struggle with depression and the healing power of the natural world. His new contemporary fantasy novel Strange Animals will be published in February 2026 by Ballantine Books. He has an MA in early modern English literature and insists he’s more fun than that makes him sound. He lives with his wife and son in a little white house tucked between a park and a cemetery.

Reviews

[Marie B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

"You are nature and nature will go on, but there is kindness that only you can choose to bring to the world."

Jarod K. Anderson's poetry always makes my heart so full, so hopeful and connected. I don't really have words to explain how grateful I am for it, feels like no word would be enough.

[Caro Vazquez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I adore Jarod K. Anderson’s poetry! It’s so accesible and yet so deep and profound. It just makes you want to move to a cabin in the forest while also making you reflect and rethink your life. A love letter to the humanity of nature and the nature of humanity❤️

[Laura Weldon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Consider using this book as an oracle. Bring a worry or dilemma to mind, tell yourself the answer awaits, then open this (or any book by Jarod) randomly with your eyes closed and let your finger rest on the page. Read that line aloud. The answer is right there.

I ask, what do I need to know to be healthy? The answer I'm given: "Stab your predators"

I ask, is there hope for my country? The answer I'm given: "Just a reminder that you are building something that will one day be/whole and complete."

I ask, can I send love to someone who hates me? The answer I'm given: "inherent in the act of loving one thing/is a love for all things."

Try it!

[Christopher · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of the most impactful poetry I've ever had the privilege of reading. This will definitely be a book that I'll pick back up year after year. Cannot recommend highly enough. Optimistically existential, wonderfully whimsically, morbidly motivational. Reads like the peroxide my mom used to pour on my cuts as a kid (as in something strangely familiar and nostalgic that somehow stings and comforts at the same time).

[Alicia J Dunn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jarod K. Anderson is just my absolute favourite poet. Such a wonderful example of the ways humans are so multifaceted and so connected and so alike. This book and I are kin.

I can’t wait to continue reading this over and over and over and filling the margins with my reflections in different coloured pens. It’ll be the most loved book you’d ever see.

[ilikedots · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoy poetry but would never buy a book of it. I started seeing this author’s writing on instagram and couldn’t get enough. The imagery is astounding and deeply moving. A blend of mental health and nature. It’s beautiful and I’ll probably never stop reading it.

[Michelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the blend of nature, observation and mindfulness.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everything I hoped for and more - this book is going to become one that I pick up over and over and wear down the corners.

[Cathie · Rating 5 out of 5]

the three books of poetry fall seamlessly together. a thought provoking read.

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve already read all the books in this collection, but I finally got a physical copy and decided to read it all again lol

[Edwin Radin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gorgeous special edition version of an existing three-volume poetry series. Would make a great gift for the nature lover.

[Meg (Kismic) Barber · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a read straight through and you’re done kind of book. I’ll never be done- these poems sit with you, make you think and then bring you back to reread again and again.

[Lewis Szymanski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I gave the three books that make up this book five stars each, so of course I'm giving this five stars.

More importantly, a Goodreads librarian needs to merge the Jarod K Anderson profile with the Jarod K. Anderson profile.

Edit: Yay, it's fixed.