"And so, despite all of the heartaches in this beautiful and difficult collection, Faulkner still manages to pull off a magic trick, changing the perception of her collection’s title as you read. Some endings are written with violence, but some are written with bright and flourishing perennials, with renewal and discovery. Either way, Faulkner isn’t really asking for your permission."

—Brenna Crotty, CALYX Press

"Magical tension comes across with the juxtaposition of violent and tender imagery in the poems, [....] inviting readers to reconsider the blurred boundaries between what is predetermined and what can be actively chosen, and fostering a nuanced understanding of the intricate dance between fate and personal agency."

—Nicelle Davis, MER

“Faulkner’s debut collection of poems explores the underbelly of humanity. The author boldly confronts the ugly, dark aspects of life and death in this powerful set of poems. Her work addresses the experience of being female in a hostile world. Her “hunger / for things that are just out of reach” is palpable and relatable. The author is masterful at evoking the tough, gritty nature of her speakers’ surroundings, describing the way “the shoreline keens & punches,” the “gin-sodden drizzle” of Southend, and the “burnt chalk taste of trams” in East Berlin. An intense and unforgettable compilation of poetry.”

—Kirkus Indie Reviews

“While this poem deals with domesticity, it also integrates sharpness and sourness. The author couples the language of the kitchen with that of surgery thereby interrupting our comfort in the space of a new home with new things. This poem grants us a vulnerable moment of intimate transition.”

—Rita Mookerjee, Sand Hills Literary Magazine’s 2022 National Poetry Prize judge

writes of Faulkner’s prize winning poem Maiden Name

In 2021, The Mastheads, a public art and humanities project in Pittsfield, MA, partnered with the MCLA Institute for the Arts and Humanities on a public poetry-writing project that asked poets to write a poem about places in the area significant to them. Select poems were featured in a short film with music by Ben Jaffe, which aired at the Pittsfield Common. Six, including Faulkner’s poem Blueberry Honey Lavender, were installed on billboards throughout Berkshire County in August.

All headshots courtesy of Ben Esner Photography.