Across the endless farmland of Indiana, the power of nature is evident. Here, food is grown for Americans all over the country. Farmers toil from the crack of dawn to sundown until their work is done. And outside of this bucolic land, the raucous sounds of the Indianapolis 500 provide a surprising counterpoint. Because even in a decidedly old-fashioned state, modern technology is still a major attraction for its residents. This dichotomy is often expressed in poetry. And in Indiana's Best Emerging Poets, 88 young up-and-coming poets have their own chance to shine. Covering a wide array of topics ranging from love and heartbreak, family and friendship, the inherent beauty of nature, and so much more, these young talents will amaze you. Containing one poem per poet, this anthology is a compelling introduction to the great wordsmiths of tomorrow.

Across the endless farmland of Indiana, the power of nature is evident. Here, food is grown for Americans all over the country. Farmers toil from the crack of dawn to sundown until their work is done. And outside of this bucolic land, the raucous sounds of the Indianapolis 500 provide a surprising counterpoint. Because even in a decidedly old-fashioned state, modern technology is still a major attraction for its residents. This dichotomy is often expressed in poetry. And in Indiana's Best Emerging Poets 2019, 37 young up-and-coming poets have their own chance to shine. Covering a wide array of topics ranging from love and heartbreak, family and friendship, the inherent beauty of nature, and so much more, these young talents will amaze you. Containing one poem per poet, this anthology is a compelling introduction to the great wordsmiths of tomorrow.

Our "Emerging Writers" publications are part of an experimental series designed to match readers looking for new voices with up-and-coming authors looking to widen their reader base. We like to refer to publications in this series as "sampler platters" of writers and genres, such that readers can quickly and efficiently discover talented authors they may otherwise have never heard of as well as compelling genres they may never have given a shot before. In Indiana's Emerging Writers: An Anthology of Fiction, Indiana's most promising up-and-coming authors have the chance to share their own words. Covering a wide array of genres ranging from literary fiction to satire, mystery, comedy, science fiction, and more, these young talents will amaze you. Containing one story per writer, this anthology is a compelling introduction to the great wordsmiths of tomorrow.

“All hits no skips. I was incredibly moved by these poems.” —Roxane Gay, via Goodreads From National Poetry Series winner Su Cho, chosen by Paige Lewis, a debut poetry collection about immigration, memory, and a family’s lexicon Language and lore are at the core of The Symmetry of Fish, a moving debut about coming-of-age in the middle of nowhere. With striking and tender insight, it seeks to give voice to those who have been denied their stories, and examines the way phrases and narratives are passed down through immigrant families—not diluted over time, but distilled into potency over generations. In this way, a family's language is not lost but continuously remade, hitched to new associations, and capable of blooming anew, with the power to cut across space and time to unearth buried memories. The poems in The Symmetry of Fish insist that language is first and foremost a bodily act; even if our minds can't recall a word or a definition, if we trust our mouths, expression will find us—though never quite in the forms we expect.

Bloodroot showcases poetry from the collected works of Jasper, Indiana, native Norbert Krapf. Spanning 35 years, these poems focus on Krapf's experiences living in southern Indiana and the intersection of his life with his German ancestry. Forty of the poems are published here for the first time. Photographs by David Pierini, inspired by Krapf's work with many taken in and around Dubois County, grace this evocative portrait of a poet and place.

On the Desire to Levitate is the first collection of poems by Alison Powell. This striking collection includes vivid, unflinching meditations on aging, mythology, poetry, and family. In tight, elegant lines that alternate between homage and elegy, these poems explore known subjects with a rebellious eye: a defeated Hercules and a bitter Eurydice, a sympathetic Lucifer, and generations of adolescent girls as mythical adventurers moving within a beloved but confining Midwest. Yet in Powell’s skillful hands, hardship never overtakes: as judge Charles Hood writes, “There’s often a delicious humor in this work, and always a deep and lasting integrity.”

“A poet celebrates the wonders of nature in a collection of essays that could almost serve as a coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews As a child, Nezhukumatathil called many places home: the grounds of a Kansas mental institution, where her Filipina mother was a doctor; the open skies and tall mountains of Arizona, where she hiked with her Indian father; and the chillier climes of western New York and Ohio. But no matter where she was transplanted—no matter how awkward the fit or forbidding the landscape—she was able to turn to our world’s fierce and funny creatures for guidance. “What the peacock can do,” she tells us, “is remind you of a home you will run away from and run back to all your life.” The axolotl teaches us to smile, even in the face of unkindness; the touch-me-not plant shows us how to shake off unwanted advances; the narwhal demonstrates how to survive in hostile environments. Even in the strange and the unlovely, Nezhukumatathil finds beauty and kinship. For it is this way with wonder: it requires that we are curious enough to look past the distractions in order to fully appreciate the world’s gifts. Warm, lyrical, and gorgeously illustrated by Fumi Nakamura, World of Wonders is a book of sustenance and joy. Praise for World of Wonders Barnes & Noble 2020 Book of the Year An NPR Best Book of 2020 An Esquire Best Book of 2020 A Publishers Weekly “Big Indie Book of Fall 2020” A BuzzFeed Best Book of Fall 2020 “Hands-down one of the most beautiful books of the year.” —NPR “A timely story about love, identity and belonging.” —New York Times Book Review “A truly wonderous essay collection.” —Roxane Gay, The Audacity

It's a nervy thing for an anthology to label itself Best New Poets, but once again the collection lives up to its name. It's a rich and readable selection, reflecting no party-line aesthetic, and attesting to the formidable promise of the emerging generation. --David Wojahn.