When I announced last year that PopPoetry would be published somewhat less regularly, I in no way meant to take a 7-month hiatus for most of 2025. But life has a way of doing that: rushing in to fill the space you’ve created.
Today I want to take back some of that space with an update and some information about what’s next for PopPoetry (spoiler alert: she’s so back).
Here’s what’s been going on in my corner of the world while I was away:
My Second Book, Solitary, Was Accepted for Publication!
While I was on the road for the final leg of my book tour for Happy Everything, I got the most incredible news: Solitary, my second book of poetry, won the 2024 Pamet River Prize and will be published with the incomparable YesYes Books in early 2027!
Getting the news was one of the most surreal and wonderful moments I’ve ever experienced.
I was in Austin, TX, that day and had stopped at the Harry Ransom Center to do some reading and research. I had a box of Anne Sexton’s papers open in front of me, a wine ring-stained manuscript copy (I shit you not) of The Awful Rowing Toward God open in front of me, when I happened to glance at my phone. I had a notification about an email from the press informing me that I’d won. I gasped so loudly in the silent reading room that every patron there turned toward me simultaneously. I ran into the hallway to whisperscream the news to my husband John through my tears. I’ll never forget it.
I’ve been a huge fan of YesYes Books for so long, and it’s a dream come true to publish with them. I can’t wait to share more news about Solitary with you here as I get it!
Happy Everything Has a Shiny New Medal!
This spring, I was thrilled to learn that Happy Everything won the silver medal in poetry at the 2025 Independent Publisher (IPPY) Awards. The book was also a finalist for the Eric Hoffer Medal Provocateur, which honors “the best on the frontier of poetry—the experimental, the innovative, the daring and stunning, the impromptu in technique and voice.” Hot damn.
Seeing Happy Everything get her laurels has been such a joy, but my greatest joy has been sharing my work with new readers. If you’d like a signed copy, I still have a few copies on hand from a recent reading. Reaching out to me via DM on Instagram or through my website to grab one!
New (and Old) Poems Published Online
In February, J. P. Dancing Bear at VerseDaily featured a poem that appears in Happy Everything called “My Father Drives to Muskegon with a Bouquet of Flowers.” Such an honor to have a poem on the site after being a fan of the project for so many years. The poem previously appeared only in the book, and I’m happy to have this deeply west Michigan-rooted poem available more widely.
A new poem, “Rainbow Coat,” was also recently published at The Pinch. I wrote this one as a voice note on my phone in the parking lot of our old apartment last year: having it published this soon is practically warp speed for me. Looking for
We’re Having A(nother) Baby!
After two consecutive miscarriages, we’re thrilled to be welcoming our second child this fall. The past 13 months have been some of the most challenging of my life: the ups and downs of pregnancy, miscarriage, and trying to conceive have made both my mind and my body feel like battlegrounds, and I’m looking forward to a new chapter in more ways than one. Our oldest, Matilda, is so excited to be a big sister.
Will we give baby #2 a literary name, too? Stay tuned :)
PopPoetry Needs Your Support
Lots of changes are afoot for our family, both personally and professionally. I’m looking forward to devoting more time to PopPoetry and bringing you great new articles, writing prompts, book reviews, interviews, and more as we move into 2026. Articles will still be published on an ad hoc basis through my postpartum recovery, but the future looks bright!
If you have the means, I would be so grateful if you’d consider becoming a paid subscriber. Your dollars support my family directly and make my work as a writer possible, full stop.
I continue to work on refining the features and subscription tiers that are available and hope to take advantage of the exciting new capabilities that Substack offers, including live posts and podcasts. This is all to say that I’m excited about what I might be able to do here going forward, and I’m thinking hard about how to add value for wonderful readers like you.
What I’ve learned in the last several months is that the work I’ve done and will continue to do here matters to people. PopPoetry has been taught at universities around the country, and the poetry/pop culture intersection is one that continues to fascinate us. I was recently called upon as a subject-matter expert for a scholarly project on Taylor Swift and poetry at Northern Illinois University. In other words, people are about this niche! I look forward to minting new readers of poetry, educating folks about poetry and popular culture, and sharing my passion for the subject with anyone who happens to make their way to this space.
In a time when education is being attacked at every level, I want to hold fast to this space of art and inquiry. Thank you for supporting my work. I promise to make it worth your while for as long as I can.
Big congrats, Caitlin, on the new book and the baby!! And the recognitions of the first book!