{"product_id":"solitary-bee-9781939574183","title":"Solitary Bee","description":"\u003ch2\u003eSolitary Bee: A Contemporary Poetry Collection by Chelsea Woodard\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn \u003cem\u003eSolitary Bee\u003c\/em\u003e, poet Chelsea Woodard uses deft language and imagery to create vivid moments. Though many of the poems are reflective and play on past incidents in her life, the writing is clear: this is not sepia-toned nostalgia. Poems like \"Things We Inherit\" rest on tension in wordplay -- in the second line, Woodard plants a gun, and the reader spends the next several lines jumping every time she says \"shot\" (which refers to liquor, a rubber band, and a photograph, but is laced with double entendre).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe collection understands things in three ways: first, as a child does, second, as an adult, and third, as someone trying to marry the two experiences and find the truth between them. \u003cem\u003eSolitary Bee\u003c\/em\u003e thrums with the knowledge that so many of these moments are peaceful, but there is a stinger not far below the surface.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout This Poetry Collection\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis hardcover edition from Measure Press Inc. showcases Woodard's mastery of contemporary verse forms and her ability to balance reflection with sharp observation. The poems navigate personal history through precise language that refuses easy sentimentality. Each piece examines inherited experiences and transformative moments with careful attention to wordplay and double meaning.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders of literary fiction and contemporary poetry will appreciate Woodard's approach to examining feminine experience through the lens of memory and maturation. The collection builds on themes established in her debut \u003cem\u003eVellum\u003c\/em\u003e, published by Able Muse Press in 2014, while pushing her poetic voice into new territory.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch3\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eChelsea Woodard\u003c\/strong\u003e is an American poet whose work has appeared in \u003cem\u003eThe Threepenny Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eSouthwest Review\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eBlackbird\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem\u003eAmerican Life in Poetry\u003c\/em\u003e, and other respected literary journals. She lives and teaches in New Hampshire, bringing her academic expertise and personal insight to every poem she crafts. Her attention to craft and formal elements distinguishes her work within contemporary American poetry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eSolitary Bee\u003c\/em\u003e makes an thoughtful gift for poetry enthusiasts, literature students, and readers interested in contemporary women's voices in American letters.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Measure Press Inc.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50493243752722,"sku":"9781939574183","price":22.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_df2479fb-e6c2-40c5-acbf-2686e5127bd7.jpg?v=1730640081","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/solitary-bee-9781939574183","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}