Coenen's poetry leaps and dances with the "incorrect creatures" of imagination, celebrating the messy, imperfect beauty of reclaiming one's true voice. Her verses roar with the grace of warthogs and elephants, and the “tawny wings” of eagles, all unbound by the constraints of traditional form. Coenen masterfully juxtaposes the chaos and beauty of life, embracing both the failures and the triumphs that come with it. All in all, Coenen's collection is a celebration of nature, memory, and human connection, making it a truly enchanting read.

~Erwin Arroyo, editor of The Poetry Lighthouse

(Read the full book review here)

Claire’s beautiful book came out on the solstice, and this feels fitting, as each poem is an invitation to see the light, to notice beauty and wonder, to revel in the gift of being alive. Claire’s collection of poems makes me think of Ross Gay, author of The Book of Delights, and a conversation that he had with Krista Tippett, “On the Insistence of Joy,” that was recently re-aired. Krista speaks of how someone at a gathering of philanthropists and leaders asked, “How can we possibly be joyful in a moment like this?” I feel like Ross’ work, Claire’s work, the work of Sara Bessey, whose writing I’m currently reading, and I hope my work, answer this question “How can we possibly be joyful in a moment like this?” by asking, how can we possibly not? Insisting on joy is not a denial of death, it is a leaning into the tenderness and beauty of life, which only becomes more tender and beautiful with a deep awareness of the ephemeral.

~Mary Hutto Fruchter , Mary’s Pocketful of Prose 

(Read Mary Hutto Fruchter’s Substack Post, “Even in the Excruciating” here)