A Little Feral

by Maria Giesbrecht

In A Little Feral, Maria Giesbrecht delivers a debut collection that navigates faith, family, and personal resurrection through a voice at once wild, intimate, and quietly rebellious. Written in the aftermath of leaving a conservative Mennonite upbringing, these poems chart a parallel journey of breaking away— from father, from God, from the confines of obedience. Giesbrecht’ s language is lyrical and unflinching, a cadence that moves between tenderness and defiance, weaving ancestral memory with moments of stark revelation. A Little Feral asks readers to reimagine where holiness might be found— in the fractures of family, in the undoing of inherited faith, and even in the loneliness of a world shaped by patriarchy and exile.

"Maria's poems are tender and devastating, unveiling a rich, crackling world that will haunt you in the best way." - Lyndsay Rush, USA Today bestselling author of A Bit Much

“Maria's collection of poems is amazingly vulnerable in a way that will deeply impact any reader. She captures pain and beauty in such a way that I found myself wanting to commit to memory so many lines and paragraphs in her poems. It's truly a book I will not forget.” - Hannah Rosenberg, USA Today bestselling author of Same

"Maria Giesbrecht writes remarkable poems. Wildly innovative and emotionally resonant, she puts her own slant on the inner lives of women, taking her reader to delightfully unexpected places. Prepare to be dazzled." -Alison Pick, Man Booker Prize nominated author of Far to Go

"Maria Giesbrecht is a mesmerising storyteller, she weaves words with gentle intensity. The poems here fill a silence that has long surfaced between people and places. The poems will provoke you to revisit your own experiences, finding both the hurt and light in them." -Theresa Lola, author of Ceremony for the Nameless

Genres: Poetry

100 pages, Paperback

Expected publication May 8, 2026

About the author

Maria Giesbrecht is a Canadian poet whose work explores her Mexican and Mennonite roots. Her writing has appeared in The Literary Review of Canada, Grain, ONLY POEMS, San Pedro River Review, and elsewhere. She is the winner of the 2025 Jack McCarthy Book Prize, a Best of Net nominee, and the founder of Gather, an international writing community that connects poets worldwide. Born in Durango, Mexico, she now lives in Toronto, Canada.

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an incredible book of poetry. Maria uses language in a way that is searingly fresh to invite the reader into her childhood memories, reflections on being, and thoughts around God peppered throughout. As a poetry reader, there is nothing I love more than a metaphor that is deeply original, yet still carries a ring of truth, and this collection is full of such poems. I did not read a single line that had me thinking, "I've seen that before" (which is rare for a full collection!) This is so special, because in reading this, I felt like I really got to sit inside the poet's mind for a few hours. I started taking photos of all the poems I loved to store away for a later read, and then hilariously realized that it was basically all of them.

God appears many times in this book, but not once in a way that is prescriptive (as an agnostic, I appreciated that). Instead, Maria tenderly and humorously invites the reader to consider the myriad of different things that God *could* be - from every single person on this planet, to a man shopping for furniture, to a deity hand-built by the people that raised us. All of the meditations on God in this collection are expansive and invite you to open up a conversation with your own spirituality.

Maria explores many difficult and topical themes in this book with a tone that is at times philosophical, whimsical, confessional, tender and bold. With her confessions, I feel that she gives us a greater permission to feel the things we feel, even if they are, at times, by silly societal standards, "a little feral". I truly couldn't put this collection down, and recommend it to anyone looking for an electrically original poetry read.

[Ana Dee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to the author for the Advanced Reader Copy.

Well, it's safe to say this book wrecked me a little. A Little Feral is one of the most powerful poetry collections I’ve read in years. The poems are raw, tender, and devastating. Absolutely nothing in this book feels forced. The language is precise, fresh, and alive.

There’s so much in this book about faith, family, and what it means to leave a conservative Mennonite upbringing without ever fully escaping its shadow. I particularly loved how God shows up in these poems - practically everywhere but not exactly where you may expect. The poems feel like breaking away from a father, from God, from obedience itself. There’s grief here, but also defiance, strength, and survival.

I can’t really compare this book to anything else I’ve read before. It feels singular and different and I just love it so much. I'll be re-reading this many times.

My top 3 favourite poems are listed below (I had to force myself to pick only a few gems for the sake of this review, otherwise I'd be listing 50 poem titles)
- White birds
- Easily
- Days when I have nothing

[Alina Kalontarov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was fortunate enough to read an advanced copy of this precious little collection full of tender and wild things. Every poem can be read both as an intimate confession and a universal meditation on the ways we inherit and push back against our past. We are taken along for the surreal ride, full of fresh imagery and unexpected turns, as Maria navigates a fundamentalist upbringing, an alcoholic father, and an elusive sense of home. While I devoured the book in one sitting and then went back for seconds, this is the perfect collection to pick up if you're looking to savor a poem, turn it over on your tongue for a bit, before moving on to the next one. Each poem is self-contained and yet somehow fits like a perfect puzzle piece into the emotional arc of the collection. What I love most about these poems is that they don't attempt to tell a story; rather, they are concerned with steeping the reader in an experience that often feels cyclical and loops in on itself. In that way, the collection bends the idea of time and highlights the ways in which our past, present and future are always intertwined. I loved loved loved it!

[Nicole Zwolinski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll have what she's having...

I received an advance copy.

In a Little Feral each poem has me screaming in delight. I imagine observers will indeed want to know and order what I’m reading, because it is clearly delicious. Each page is a firework exploding your mind before your very own eyes. Maria’s words are a literary pleasure and absolute delight. I’m not sure how one poet has the ability to weave such strong imagery in every poem. It’s ridiculous and radiant in the best way possible. I want "How to write a sympathy card" to be a sympathy card. Maria's poetry is "neck-deep in living". One of my favorite poems in this collection (although honestly, it is hard to choose) is The final preparation which declares "one must trust the recipe for dying". Maria's writing embraces whimsy, but is rich in wisdom beyond her years. Her poetry will satisfy you like the magic of reconnecting with an old friend near a wood burning fire place - warm, familiar, with shared history - pain, happiness and all.

[Caitlin Conlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maria Giesbrecht’s debut collection is very clean. No poem has a wasted word or phrase, every line break feels meticulous and intentional. I found myself reading each poem twice, really drinking it all in. I’ve followed Maria on Instagram for probably about a year now, and was pleased to find a mix of my favorite poems she’s shared and ones I’d never seen before. These poems do a lot of heavy lifting with a tight word count.

‘A Little Feral’ straddles the line that separates dedicated poetry readers from fair-weather readers incredibly well—this is a book anyone could pick up & enjoy, & I already know it’ll be one I recommend when working at the bookstore. That being said, I would specifically recommend this to poetry readers that enjoy Maggie Smith or Kate Baer.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Little Feral is a masterclass in contemporary poetry. Giesbrecht's use of craft elements and signature voice elevates the quality of her poetry to another level. But it's her willingness to confront taboo topics that truly sets her work apart. Whether she is wrestling with god, family, or herself, Giesbrecht isn't afraid to speak the uncomfortable truth. She is unapologetic in her storytelling, encouraging readers to examine the dark parts of their own lives. This book challenged me to be more brave, authentic, silly, and of course, feral. I'd recommend it to anyone, regardless of their experience with poetry!

[Nicole Dalcourt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This collection is a fierce and tender meditation on womanhood and truth. The poems guide the reader through interior landscapes shaped by memory, inheritance, and emotional reckoning. By the end of the collection, I was left with the sense of having witnessed the process of someone becoming their truest self.

[K.R. Wilson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Traumas recounted calmly, or sometimes not. With precision detail and tiny, abrupt shifts in imagery, Maria Giesbrecht’s poetry collection A Little Feral teases out the traps that shelter behind trust; the way rigid religious upbringing lingers; the small moments that let us feed ourselves.