The Uterus is an Impossible Forest

by Shannon Kearns

The forest is a mother is a witch is a womb.

Here, the trees hold impossible magic; their roots are a haunted house, a spiral, a three-knock ritual on the fairy-tale door. When you wander into its arms, it’s important to eat the apple but protect your name. The darkness will only choke you faster if you try to resist.

Beneath the spellwork and the silence of these woods, you’ll find poetry that acts as a portal. Kearns births a unique blend of whispered silhouettes and blood-soaked runes, her words the screams of audible drownings. Inspired by themes of motherhood, witchcraft, and the divine feminine, this collection dissects, rebuilds, and unleashes a vision of female empowerment and beauty, all while embracing the shadow and savoring the scars of a prolonged death.

This collection is an homage to the flickering light in a cave, to the introspection of our bodies, and the astrology of the mind. Unable to look away, readers will confront the mirror of grief and madness, unpack the crystal-laden tears of confronted family lineages, and walk down uncharted paths of forged hope and connection. Proceed softly, dream carefully, and if you get to the end, make sure you thank the spirits for keeping you alive.

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

Published August 21, 2025

Reviews

[Haylee McManus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Haunting, eviscerating, spellbinding, and carnal. An evocative poetry collection that confronts aspects of motherhood/womanhood through the lens of body horror and spirituality. This work is divinely female, covering themes of hunger, desire, shame, religious guilt, bodily autonomy, female rage, and mythology. I felt like I couldn’t catch my breath while reading this. A clever use of line breaks, imagery, repetition, and brackets. For fans of Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado and Vertigo & Ghost by Fiona Benson. Propulsive in its intensity; Kearns has an unwavering voice that refuses to go unheard.

Thank you to RDS Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC.

[jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Uterus is an Impossible Forest is a haunting collection of poetry about femininity, motherhood and life, all intricately interwoven with mythology.
The collection is divided into four parts of which I found the last two to be the strongest. They both center around motherhood and the bodily and emotional transformations that accompany it. These poems were truly impressive to read and resonated deeply with me – even though I am not a mother myself.

“A bird lands on the nape of my window, shuffles
blue wings then drops a feather, its plume an oracle.
I trace my lips with its top, flick the crest of my belly
with the memory of flight.”

What I find especially remarkable about this collection is its coherence. It is built upon a carefully considered concept that intertwines religion, mythology and the feminine. The curation is excellent, and I found each poem to be essential to the overall reading experience. Coherence is achieved not only through strong, well-executed themes but also through the recurring motifs that echo throughout the collection. The waxing moon, crows and mirrors appear again and again without ever becoming repetitive. Instead, they establish a distinctive atmosphere that persists throughout the entire collection.

I also greatly appreciated that Kearns doesn’t shy away from experimenting with form. Several poems are not only written in free verse but are thoughtfully arranged across the page – not afraid to take up the space that they need. This visual play enhanced my reading experience since I started to cross-read through the verses, creating and finding new meanings myself.

Overall, The Uterus is an Impossible Forest is a powerful and beautifully crafted collection of poetry that will stay with me for a long time!

A big thanks to RDS Publishing and NetGalley for my ARC!

[Kate Connell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a woman, certain questions and feelings are universal, and they are usually the ones that feel most private. Our deep connections to our bodies, our minds, and the world around us have made many women suffer throughout history, for knowing too much (witches) or not 'delivering' (any wife of Henry VIII).

Do I want to be a mother? How do I feel about my own mother? Is being a woman to feel shame with no purpose? What does the history of women in my family mean for me? Am I crazy? Is this thing inside me really going to become a person? How do I do this? What does it mean to be a mother? Will I survive to be a mother? Can I be a mother? Am I simply a vessel? Have all women been cursed since the creation of the story of Eve? Should I relate so much to The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman?

These and more are covered in the poetry in this collection, which I recommend to all women who have ever had any of these thoughts. Some of these poems will stick with me for quite some time.

[Jessica Gleason · Rating 3 out of 5]

Things I Appreciated: I really enjoyed how much the poet played with form. Looking at the use of space on the page and how varied the structures were felt interesting. There were some really poignant emotions here.

I will say this wasn't what I expected from reading the blurb and I don't think I was the target audience here. I expected more witchy themes.and darkness and not religion and pregnancy or motherhood. I wanted more balance there, even though the themes explored here we're certainly dark. This could probably be remedied by changing the blurb up.

Still, the poet is talented and the writing is visually compelling.

[Clarke · Rating 1 out of 5]

Unfortunately, I felt the NetGalley description was a wildly inaccurate description, setting my expectations for 'witchcraft', 'haunted house', and 'The darkness will only choke you faster if you try to resist'.Instead, it was 50%+ religious themes. I found the odd line in a few poems resonated, but otherwise it felt like a chore and not what I signed up for. If you like themes of motherhood and religion instead of more overt horror then this will be more up your street than mine. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

[lfthndofdrknss · Rating 3 out of 5]

received as a NetGalley arc in exchange for an honest review

This collection explores the bindings and boundaries of womanhood in a chaotic mix of poetic form that suits the subject matter well. The poems are full of loss and longing and explore many dark themes with an unflinching specificity.

My rating is drawn somewhat from my expectations based on the publisher's description. While witchcraft and a sense of heavy doom are discussed, these themes do not fit with the majority of the poems.

[Jeannie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Received this as an ARC from NetGalley and it was not what I was expecting. I did not realize it was a book of poetry. By the description I was thinking graphic novel or short story fiction. This was just not my cup of tea but I have no doubt there is an audience for it. This was graphic, haunting, and dark. DNF

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this poetry collection from Shannon Kearns. Will need to read more from her. #TheUterusisanImpossibleForest #NetGalley

[Nicole Perkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved Shannon Kearns’ “The Uterus is an Impossible Forest.” I feel that Kearns’ writing holds the same taut imagery as Sylvia Plath’s work as she writes about women’s experiences with Life. Kearns’ poems often have abstract formats; “Mad Woman” is brilliantly presented in a pattern of crossed out words, not exactly a blackout poem, but something more unique. The poem “Yellow” is reflective of Charlotte Perkins Gilman’s classic, and fits the aesthetic of Monica Robinson’s incredible “Peeling the Yellow Wallpaper.” “Alchemical Reaction” tells of the days (and nights) of early motherhood when your baby is a fragile, almost ephemeral treasure; “Hair” reminds me of combing my own daughter’s hair when she was a little girl with wheat-colored waves falling to her waist. Now she is a married mother of three. I copied “My Body is a Church” into my commonplace book in it’s entirety: “oh/ how I want/ to say yes/ not to a god/ or the many gods I have/ placed/ on my altar (god of shame, god of good, god of nothing)/ how I want to say/ yes/ to a garden/ of spindly yearning/ that desiccate/ the architecture/ of that good/ and that god/ and grow like ivy cracking marrow—"
Kearns’ words reflect the experiences of so many women: “I have been taught/ my yes is a tamed wind/ don’t let it topple./ I have given es over/ and over until all that’s left/ is a hollow egg,/ brittle and bearing.”
I cannot recommend this book enough. I received the ARC as an e-book; I will be purchasing this in print form to add to my collection. This is an outstanding collection. Read this.