Mirrors and crows, marionettes and the monster under the bed, hellhounds and mermaids: anything can be horrific—or maybe not. Darkness doesn't always equal evil, and things long lauded as good can suddenly turn into marauders. In this collection, Gerri Leen explores many sides of darkness in verse that is both accessible and twisted.
Praise for Unwilling:
"I've been a huge Gerri Leen fan for years now; her work consistently blows me away. With her latest poetry collection, Unwilling, she does it again, weaving her gorgeous and lyrical spell that takes hold of you and never lets you go. With every poem, she draws you into a tale that's by turns bewitching, beautiful, and brutal. There's no one out there writing like Gerri Leen today. Pick up this collection immediately and prepare to be captivated." - Gwendolyn Kiste, Lambda Literary and Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Reluctant Immortals and The Haunting of Velkwood
"Unwilling: Poems of Horror and Darkness takes readers to the shadowlands where angels and crows have more in common than one might expect. Gerri Leen reveals enchantment in everyday items, as she contemplates the truth hidden beneath the mask of the familiar. The grim poems in Unwilling are steeped in melancholy and sugared with more than a little rage. Dark feminism at its best." - Carina Bissett, award-winning editor of Shadow Atlas: Dark Landscapes of the Americas
"Gerri Leen spins her poems with exquisite threads of darkness, presented in three sections. There's the mirror that holds a face, not a reflection, or about being at war with angels, joined by crows. A bar in the old west, out of time; roasted hellhounds, bringing a witch to heel, and a love song turned into a scream, all among the many mesmerizing poems in this fine collection." - Marge Simon, Bram Stoker Award-winning poet
"From haunted household objects like mirrors and teacups to unholy alliances between humans and birds in an ongoing apocalypse,Unwilling is aptly titled and roils with lyrical, unearthly delights." - AJ Odasso, author of The Sting of It and The Pursued and the Pursuing
"Unwilling unwinds itself to the willing reader, asking questions about humanity, divinity, and more. What answers these poems give are usually unsettling ones—when they give answers at all. Gerri Leen is at her best in this collection, thrusting the responsibility of finding answers on the reader themselves, opening doors to worlds of imagination that are eerie, and which demand that the reader stand up and engage with them as an equal. Leen's imagination is vivid and intense, and her words are unsparing. Be prepared for a long and wonderful ride with her; indeed, pack a lunch." - Deborah L. Davitt, author of Bounded by Eternity
"Step into the shadowed realm of Unwilling: Poems of Horror and Darkness, where the echoes of classic horror tropes resonate with a haunting fresh resonance. Within these pages, poet Gerri Leen, a perennial Rhysling Award nominee whose verse has graced my own speculative anthology Eccentric Orbitsfor years, invites readers to traverse landscapes both eerie and alluring.
In the first section "Caught up in Darkness," Leen explores the depths of human fear and vulnerability, weaving lyrical tapestries that ensnare the imagination. "Monstrous Things" delves into the realms of the unknown, offering glimpses into the darkness of the human psyche. And in "Love is Hell," the poet masterfully intertwines themes of passion and torment, crafting verse that is both chilling and achingly beautiful. With a style that is as lyrical as it is unique, this collection promises to captivate lovers of both horror and literary poetry alike, offering a fresh perspective on the age-old shadows that haunt the human soul." - Poet Laureate Emerita Wendy Van Camp
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