Toward the Wild Abundance received the Wheelbarrow Books Prize for Poetry from Center for Poetry at the Residential College in the Arts and Humanities here at MSU in 2018. In her introduction to the volume, the contest’s judge, Sarah Bagby, says the book “conjures emotions initiated by the frailty and wonder of our lives. ... These kaleidoscopic poems also shine brilliance on themes of memory and the passage of time. They fluidly transport us from past to present and into the imagination to pose questions about how our experiences inform identity and meaning.” The book is full of light, paintings, flowers, and quiet moments of reflection. In the words of Jack Ridl, Toward the Wild Abundance is an “elegantly down-to-earth collection” that “longs for lives where we love wastefully and stand in awe.” 

Kristin Brace writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. She is the author of the poetry chapbooks Fence, Patio, Blessed Virgin and Each Darkness Inside. Brace earned an MFA in writing from Spalding University and her work has appeared in journals such as Fiction Southeast, Water-Stone Review, and The Other Journal.

Toward the Wild Abundance, is available at msupress.org and other fine booksellers. You can find her at kristinbrace.com. You can connect with the press on Facebook and @msupress on twitter, where you can also find our host @kurtmilb.