Author Description

In this, her fourth collection, Whitnee Coy's poetry continues to mature and flower in powerful and unexpected ways. She has always offered a rich and deeply lyrical poetic voice, but here, where she processes the traumas of her daughter's difficult premature birth and the pain of separation they both endured during her child's extended stay in NICU, Coy's voice soars to startling new heights and insights-as well as to a triumphant reunion between mother and daughter. She continues to impress and inspire as a poet. You must read this book! -Young Smith, author of In a City You Will Never Visit In A Limb Outgrowing a Weathered Tree, Whitnee Coy mines the fraught border between the joy of new motherhood and the terror of unexpected complications with an arresting virtuosity. She does not hold back at any point along an emotional and even physical spectrum, allowing us in for the full experience, "to laugh, wail, & feel the world's aches" for ourselves. With a deft narrative voice, Coy explores her craft with a masterful eye and an adventurous spirit. Beyond the pain and confusion, these poems celebrate how the beauty and wonder of a new life can invigorate a mother, a family, and a community. -Jay McCoy, author of The Occupation