Hello my friends!
The time has come! You can officially pre-order my new book of poems The Verse for Now from Flower Press. The first 100 folks to pre-order will receive a limited edition postcard featuring a selection of my photographs.
I worked on this sacred collection for the past four years and I’m so excited that it’s about to find its way into your hands on April 22nd. It’s definitely my favorite thing I’ve written so far.
In these pages, we observe the complexity of Northern California forests, we hear the ancient voice of madrone trees, peer into the chaos of the human mind, and relish in the role that romantic relationships play in the midst of collapse. My prayers for the planet blend with humor and the hard work of self-discovery. Balancing a sense of hope and hopelessness, these meditative poems explore divine tools of transformation arising from our current climate crisis.
As we witness the flames and floods, what guidance is there to uncover if we give ourselves even a moment of contemplation while kneeling beside a rushing creek, walking Midwestern streets, writing poetry, or sitting under a giant redwood? Even in the dark days, I’m trying my best to know what it means to trust, praise and honor earth.
This is a book that requires us to accept ourselves as planetary, at once vast and cosmic, while equally small and animal. Through deep listening to landscapes both rural and urban, I’m attempting to demonstrate a way to assume responsibility as a human being by stepping into the practice of relationship and loyalty with people and planet. The Verse for Now sings of interconnection and agency in an expansive universe, where together we create the endless story of life.
Here is some advanced praise, for which I’m truly grateful:
What is it to love a place— and then leave? In her ninth book, Suskin wanders further inward than ever before, with a voice that is older, wiser, perhaps a touch more weary. Here, we are invited to witness this brilliant poet’s poignant rumination of all that stands to be lost in this world, even the earth itself. The Verse for Now is a collection of longing, of frustration. It is a lurching, howling cry— to be held, to hold, to make sense of what lingers in the dark. But it is also an effort to dig beyond despair in order to find hope. This book is Suskin as we’ve never seen her before— feral, yes. Wild. But also vulnerable, unsure. A soft creature, asking what comfort is there / in this decaying world — that is, what remains, at the end of everything? The answer Suskin offers us is simple, moving, profound: love.
- Suzanne Honda, author of When We Were Birds
Jacqueline Suskin writes: "Beyond the self/ and their satisfaction sits/ in the center of each bloom..." and like Suskin, all good and curious writers are so agilely positioned: beyond the self, at the center of their own bloom. Her writing unfurls slowly, methodically, patiently as each breath is taken with a deep exhalation, as well as a hunger to know the self and the Earth with better intimacy. The Verse for Now offers us a moment of tender reprieve, it is a book to remind us of all the bright possibilities that still exist. We are alive in such crucial times, may we mark each day with the openness that Suskin explores and writes with. This book is a beautiful prayer.
- Fariha Róisín, author of Survival Takes a Wild Imagination
Here is Suskin singing, and translating the songs of trees and the land: “The plants never stop singing directions.” Sometimes they are songs of spitfire, ecstasy, or earthly grief. Sometimes they act as warnings. Often they are lyrical reminders that we and the earth are alive. These are lyrics for the here and now, for loving life and this land in all its hues. “It isn’t for memory that I make it all, it’s for right now.”
- Lora Mathis, author of The Snakes Came Back
I hope you pre-order a million copies. I really do! I’m busy planning a California tour for the month of May, so please keep an eye out for those details. So much unpaid labor goes into making a book of poetry happen, and the tour cost is huge. If you feel like you can support that part of the process, please let me know. I need your help! That could look like a monetary donation to help cover tour expenses, but I’d also love to be a guest on your podcast, I’d love to see the book featured in your magazine, newsletter or local paper, and more than anything your generous pre-orders will let me know I’m not alone in these efforts.
Other than focusing on the excitement of this new book coming out, I’m feeling the vibration of spring in the air and soil. Can you feel it? The buzz of life returning to its blooming form! Creativity starting to rise up from the ground in order to find the sun! In honor of this big transformation, I’m excited to host a few creative conversations, offering prompts and guidance as we return to the warmer seasons. Coming out of the winter cave can be rough. It’s often a time when we need a bit of support and reflection in order to balance our efforts and step out with clarity. No matter your medium, bring your new projects, your stuck spots, and your curiosity.
What Spring Brings:
Join me on Zoom for three Saturdays of questions, answers, writing time and deep conversation as we transform along with planet earth.
April 5, April 12, April 19 - 9am-10am PT / 12-1pm ET
$100 for all 3 sessions – Venmo @Jacqueline-Suskin *I take various payment methods and am happy to do sliding scale if you’re in need.
Email me jacquelinesuskin@gmail.com to register.
April is National Poetry Month and I’ll have a lot more to offer you during that time, including some in person and virtual readings. Thank you so much for joining me on this wild ride, for buying and reading my books, and for hearing me out as I continue to figure the balance of my artistic path. It’s humbling and inspiring all at once.
Infinite Gratitude,
Jacqueline