Beneath a quiet domesticity, uncertainty looms. Who among us will be dead by next year? Next month? Tomorrow? the poet asks in Notes from the Pandemic. Birthed by political upheaval, racial strife and the relentless terror of the Covid-19 pandemic, Mickelson’s remarkable poems find solace in what matters; the changing of the seasons, nature’s wild creatures, her beloved family, the reassuring promise of routine. The quiet dread that permeates this beautiful collection is countered by glimmers of hope. Hope is the place from which this book flows, Mickelson states in her foreword. I couldn’t have said it any better. - Alexis Rhone Fancher, author of The Dead Kid Poems, poetry editor, Cultural Weekly Kathleen Cassen Mickelson’s contemplative poems in How We Learned to Shut Our Own Mouths guide us through the seasons of an unusual year and invite us to behold the promise of rebirth, beauty, and peace. She appreciates the everyday and makes it magical as she bids us to see rain-gemmed gold leaves and her winter breath …ahead in small white puffs, a tiny dragon setting fire to the world. Through her vibrant imagery, we share a time and feelings often familiar, even in our unique experiences. -Annis Cassells, author of You Can’t Have It AllIn her Forward to How We Learned to Shut Our Mouths, Kathleen Cassen Mickelson announces Nothing is off limits to the power of love. This declaration sets the tone of a chapbook that bears witness to a world struggling with a pandemic and social unrest, while simultaneously celebrating an artist’s ability to welcome that clarity our fear keeps obscured. Mickelson finds clarity in cooking, walking her dog, video chatting with relatives, and honoring a partner who … always know[s]/the right tools/to thaw my heart. She invites readers to keep their eyes wide open because There is no reason to rush, nowhere else to be./All we need to do is share this meal, this moment, this now. This chapbook is a nurturing and inspiring repast. You’ll want a second helping of Mickelson’s poems whenever your fears begin to obscure the power of love.-Carolyn Martin, poetry editor of Kosmos Quarterly: journal for global transformation and author of Nothing More to Lose (The Poetry Box, 2020)
