The poetry pop-up shop is open in celebration of the Summer Solstice! 

Here’s a peek:

10% of all proceeds will go to the Vermont Legal Defense Fund, which will support and expand legal resources available to organizations that protect asylum seekers, immigrants, and marginalized people facing deportation or detention.

Poetry and art remind us that we’re connected to each other and the earth. Together, we can deepen those connections and grow a world where all are fed and nourished. I hope these prints bring you joy and beauty! 

The pop-up shop will be open for two weeks, and it closes on June 30. Paid subscribers to Art & Soil get free shipping (scroll down for the coupon code!). 

Two weeks ago I told you how I printed 100 poems to begin shaping into a manuscript. Well, let me tell you what happened next…

I shuffled and edited.

I shuffled some more.

I realized that some of these poems belong together and some don’t. I realized I have no idea how long it will take to bring these into actual book form. In the midst of this, I got two rejections from literary journals. And then I walked away for a while. 

One of the things I love about sharing poetry and writing directly with you is how there’s no arbiter or intermediary deciding when or if you read my work.

There’s me, offering these words.

There’s you, choosing to read them.

And the number of people who read and share these words is an immense bolster. It’s been years since I was regularly submitting and publishing essays. Dipping back into submissions with poetry feels both exciting and terribly challenging. But the community here reminds me that creativity is meant to be shared. Thank you for being here, for reading and connecting. 

As I come back to shuffle through my printed poems, I’m seeing how they may shift into two or even three smaller chapbooks. I’m seeing, too, how they may grow into longer works around certain themes. Most importantly, I’m re-learning how to be in the tension of the space between seed and bloom. 

On that note, here’s a poem for you that I wrote in May as part of

Imaginal

I got caught up
in the pain of being
just out of reach

I can see it so 
clearly — 
where I want
to be —
that I forgot
to look 
at the mountains 
this morning

at the field rolling down
to the flowering apple tree
at my own body breathing and
held on this hillside

What past yearning
imagined me into 
this moment

Where I am alive
to my desires

What future blooming
is reaching back to me now
reminding me to take 
it all in, imagining

me planting the seeds
that will become a
generation of beauty

I hope Art & Soil helps you grow into your future blooming. Thank you again for being part of this space!

Bring poetry into your home, or gift it to a friend — shop the poetry pop-up!

Poetry Pop-up Shop

Remember: Paid subscribers get free shipping!