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A Poet
Candice Kelsey’s A Girl / Woman / Teacher / Poet is a bildungsroman in verse, an argument for the woman poet’s role in society. Kelsey’s speaker is well-versed in the ways girls and women are socialized to shrink and suffer to be valuable. But Kelsey imagines a different future, reminds us of the old and Biblical rebellion; “But some women / order the great puppet-master to wake up / and untangle the strings / like he did for Eve / before she cut us all free.” In this book, the woman is her own savior, finding freedom when she walks out of paintings and out of the lives of men who hurt her. Kelsey’s book of instruction teaches us that the journey to finding ourselves will be painful and imperfect, but always worth it.
Taylor Byas , author of Bloodwarm
Kelsey’s work bridges the gap between the personal and the political. These are poems of protest, but there’s celebration of beauty and strength here, too, as the author evolves from a young girl baffled by the inequities of the world around her to a woman, and finally a poet, taking pride in her own Soon I was popping balloons with darts/& tossing my heart like a red ring/back into this life. With American women’s human rights under siege and everyone hungry for a little inspiration, these poems couldn’t be timelier.
Anna Scotti , author of Bewildered by All This Broken Sky There is so much to identify in A Poet, as an educator, poet, and mother. There is also so much to learn as Candice Kelsey’s collection braids poets, philosophers, photographers, Mesothelioma, Germanwings Flight 9525, 11,341 unprocessed rape kits sitting in storage, into an artist’s journey of self-discovery. Kelsey addresses victims of violence of myopic educational and legislative systems that refuse to be inconvenienced. It is only after confessing, “pretending we are ready to enter this world / until we find reason to wash again,” can we find transformation. Kelsey’s poems spin and curate a quiet and much needed bridge toward perseverance and healing. Shareen K. Murayama , Author of House Break (Bad Betty Press, 2022)
In this urgent, timely collection, Kelsey skillfully illustrates the often interrelated layers of contemporary womanhood as girl, mother, teacher, and poet. There is an energetic empathy for her surroundings, even aware of the carpenters who brave harsh conditions in order to build a roller coaster which we ride merely for enjoyment. In “Requiem for an Average Woman,” Kelsey reclaims self-love as essential in an otherwise superficial world and arrives at a sense of empowerment. Kelsey’s teacher’s voice and vision, too, appreciates the unique traits of a late student who pauses for a colorful bean bag in the middle of the street, instead of worrying about going to class on time. Underneath it all, at its core, there is a sharp a humanity, a sage, a warrior, an artist. Go read this book!
Jose Hernandez Diaz , author of The Fire Eater and the forthcoming Bad Mexican, Bad American.
Taylor Byas , author of Bloodwarm
Kelsey’s work bridges the gap between the personal and the political. These are poems of protest, but there’s celebration of beauty and strength here, too, as the author evolves from a young girl baffled by the inequities of the world around her to a woman, and finally a poet, taking pride in her own Soon I was popping balloons with darts/& tossing my heart like a red ring/back into this life. With American women’s human rights under siege and everyone hungry for a little inspiration, these poems couldn’t be timelier.
Anna Scotti , author of Bewildered by All This Broken Sky There is so much to identify in A Poet, as an educator, poet, and mother. There is also so much to learn as Candice Kelsey’s collection braids poets, philosophers, photographers, Mesothelioma, Germanwings Flight 9525, 11,341 unprocessed rape kits sitting in storage, into an artist’s journey of self-discovery. Kelsey addresses victims of violence of myopic educational and legislative systems that refuse to be inconvenienced. It is only after confessing, “pretending we are ready to enter this world / until we find reason to wash again,” can we find transformation. Kelsey’s poems spin and curate a quiet and much needed bridge toward perseverance and healing. Shareen K. Murayama , Author of House Break (Bad Betty Press, 2022)
In this urgent, timely collection, Kelsey skillfully illustrates the often interrelated layers of contemporary womanhood as girl, mother, teacher, and poet. There is an energetic empathy for her surroundings, even aware of the carpenters who brave harsh conditions in order to build a roller coaster which we ride merely for enjoyment. In “Requiem for an Average Woman,” Kelsey reclaims self-love as essential in an otherwise superficial world and arrives at a sense of empowerment. Kelsey’s teacher’s voice and vision, too, appreciates the unique traits of a late student who pauses for a colorful bean bag in the middle of the street, instead of worrying about going to class on time. Underneath it all, at its core, there is a sharp a humanity, a sage, a warrior, an artist. Go read this book!
Jose Hernandez Diaz , author of The Fire Eater and the forthcoming Bad Mexican, Bad American.
107 pages, Paperback
Published August 14, 2022
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