Renee Emerson

With my third book, Church Ladies, coming out this spring, I would like to share a few poems from my first two poetry collections, Keeping Me Still and Threshing Floor.

I’m going to focus on poems that were only published in the collections, so maybe didn’t get quite the chance to be read on their own so much, and likely publish one a month.

If you want to buy a copy of one of my books, I’ve got links in the menu under Books.

I remember once Louise Gluck being asked in an interview what she thinks now of some of her older books (I think she was asked about Meadowlands), and she replied “I thought they were good…at the time…”

(for the record: her books were good at the time and are good now!)

That answer always makes me laugh, and I think how true it is for a poet (or any artist). While I do look back and stand by both my books, of course as I’ve grown as a writer I tend to see things I would change now.

With my first book, I remember especially how hard I labored over every single word and line! Since then I’ve written better poems with much less effort (and much worse ones too, mind!), but I suppose that is just the nature of growing in a craft.

All that to say, I hope you enjoy the poems you read on the blog in the coming months!

(and if you want a signed copy of my book, drop me a line)