Standing at the Edge

of newness

On July 1, 1983, my world shifted in ways that were exciting and imperceptibly profound. I had no idea how my life was changing, just that it was. That was the day my brother was born, the day I became a sibling, the day what had been my story became a shared one.

Now I sit in the middle of another July 1, once again at the edge of having no idea how my life is changing, just that it is. This day, too, is one in which a story I have thought of as my own becomes a shared one. I suppose you could think of this as a birth announcement of sorts, for something is in the process of being born in the world. I can feel myself stretching and growing with its development and I’m excited to share that I’ve been working on a thing and as of the first of July, it’s official…

I’m publishing a book! It will be available from Square Halo Books spring 2027.

Those who know me or have been around here for a bit will not be at all surprised to hear that I’m writing about poets and community. The working title is Borrowed Words: Why Poets and Community Need Each Other.

The image of the lone poet pouring out pain onto paper as the process for writing poetry has permeated our social imagination for the work of the poet. Popularized by the Romantics, the poetic ideals of loneliness and longing for connection as the font from which poetry flows assumes that poets write best in isolation. But the prevalence of poets writing in communal contexts from ancient to modern history suggests a deeper connection between community and poetry. In Borrowed Words, Elizabeth Wickland asks what happens when poets write from a place of being known, not out of longing for community, but of belonging to one? And what shifts when communities invite poets to speak into their formation?

The words we borrow from one another have the potential to strengthen and encourage poetic vision, leading to the mutual flourishing of community and poet alike. Weaving together stories from poetic communities centered on Christ, poems, and conversational invitations for communal formation, Borrowed Words sets the stage for lovers of poems and people to lean into the ways poets and communities can shape one another for the good of the world.

Speaking of community… when my friend Naomi heard that I was signing a contract to write a book after I got off a zoom call, she made calls and sent texts and picked up a cake and threw an impromptu surprise book contract signing celebration for me! I never dreamed this kind of love and encouragement existed. What a gift community is! There’s much that I could say, and more that I will in the weeks to come, but for now I’m just excited to share the news with you all!

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Additional Updates: Website and Substack

• Another thing I’ve been working on is putting together a website, and I finally hit “publish” on that this week, too! I still have some things to add and additional functionality to connect (like making art prints available), but you should be able to find me at www.elizabethwickland.com now!

• I don’t want to overwhelm this Substack with posts about Borrowed Words, but I would also like to regularly post updates on the book and some of what I’m writing. To that end, I’m going to add a Borrowed Words section to my Substack for paid subscribers. If you want to encourage and support my work and get sneak peeks and behind the scenes content or become a collaborator, that’s how to do it!

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An Invitation: Collaboration

One of the things I love about Square Halo is their emphasis on community and collaboration. As I write, I’d love to hear from those of you who are poets, or members of communities that are shaped by poets. Specifically, I’d love to hear what you have to say on these questions:

• Are you part of a poetry community? If so, which one(s)?

• What does community mean for your formation as a poet?

• What role does poetry play in your faith / neighborhood / creative community?

• Why do you think poets and communities need each other?