This was a beautiful, cohesive collection of poetry that felt like I was sitting across from Kimberly, dumping our hearts out over a cup of coffee on [MSU] Campus. A lot of nodding, stifling of my tears, and at some point, switching to tea because I can't handle more than a cup of coffee, but the conversation wasn't done after a cup.

Wolves in Shells was rhythmic and direct in delivering Priest's lonely experience in marriage/separation/divorce, maintaining connection with her children, homelessness, and generational trauma. While also highlighting environmental injustice to not just an endangered species, but also some of the dangers Michigan's environment has been facing.

As a small town native just south of Lansing that has been incredibly homesick, Wolves in Shells came to me at the right time. To feel and taste home in someone else's words besides my own was beyond validating and rewarding, and I have endless gratitude for Priest to bare her heart in this way. Whether an endangered butterfly or wolf, surviving as a woman feels much the same in how we try to survive, with or without the love and care we need, while protecting ourselves and children.

A few absolute favorites I wanted to shout the lines of: Taxonomy, At the Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum, Everything's Fine, Unpacking, Root, and They Tell Us to Live in the Moment Because the Moment Is All We May Have.

After reading through a few times, I can confidently say the cover is a perfect fit, and the way the work sits on the pages adds to the rhythm and overall journey I went on with Priest.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this eARC, University of Nebraska | Backwaters Press, and Kimberly Ann Priest.
I look forward to more, and admire both the emotional, social, and environmental labor you have put in!

This is the epitome of the “man vs bear” debate and why I’m picking the bear. So much of this hit home and was tragically beautiful. My favorite poem was A Pedagogy for Lesser Bodies. Check your trigger warnings, SA specifically. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC!