Size of Your Joy

Poems

by Elise Powers

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Pub Date Apr 21 2026 | Archive Date Apr 20 2026

Central Avenue Publishing | Central Avenue Poetry

Arts & Photography | Parenting, Families, Relationships | Poetry & Verse

Talking about this book? Use #SizeofYourJoy #NetGalley. More hashtag tips!

Description

For every woman who's ever held joy and sorrow in the same breath—this debut is a tender, powerful reminder that you are not alone.

The Size of Your Joy is an intimate and empowering exploration of the complex and often contradictory experiences of womanhood, offering an unflinching look at how identity, resilience, and self-worth are shaped by the intersections of love, grief, and longing.

Through the birth of her daughter, the vital yet complicated relationships between the women in her life, and the realities of being a woman in the world, Powers reflects on how ideas of beauty, desire, and shame are quietly passed from one generation to the next, and what it takes to break those cycles. She examines the hunger—for belonging, autonomy, and joy—that women are taught to suppress, while imagining a path forward defined by liberation and self-acceptance.

A celebration of reclamation, The Size of Your Joy asks how we might carry both sorrow and joy, loss and love, as dual forces that shape the stories we inherit and the lives we choose to create. This collection invites readers to embrace joy not as the absence of struggle, but as an act of defiance and hope.

Advance Praise

“Each poem felt like a generous treat, and how I wanted to savour them. Elise has such a gift for distilling the complexities of life, love, and longing into a few carefully chosen words. Her poetry is as powerful as it is gentle, the kind that lingers with you long after the page is turned. Her poems took me to so many places in so few lines, a true art, but also kind of magic.” — Jessica Urlichs, author of Beautiful Chaos

“The Size of Your Joy traces what it is to be a woman in love with an impossible world. From girlhood to womanhood, this book reminds us what’s worth holding onto.” — Joy Sullivan, author of Instructions for Travelling West

Marketing Plan

A resonant debut of emotionally rich poetry by a poet with strong social media following, The Size of Your Joy is an exploration of the silent rules women inherit.

From an established press with a track record of bestselling poetry titles
An up-and-coming poet with a fast growing and highly engaged following
Instagram followers: 16.8K (August 2025)
50,000 first printing

Marketing Includes:

Presence at Winter Institute and regional bookseller shows
Advertising in Foreword Reviews; Shelf Awareness; Poets.org
NetGalley and Edelweiss ARC campaigns
Trade review campaigns
Goodreads giveaways
Social media & newsletter outreach
Pre-order campaign via local Seattle independent bookseller
Award submissions

Compare to: The Art of Falling in Love Again; Eclipse; Self Portrait; Glass Hearts and Broken Promises; Letters I Will Never Send

A resonant debut of emotionally rich poetry by a poet with strong social media following, The Size of Your Joy is an exploration of the silent rules women inherit.

From an established press with a...

Available Editions

EDITION	Paperback
ISBN	9781771684408
PRICE	CA$23.00 (CAD)
PAGES	160

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