A.R. Williams's collection, A Weathered Ship, explores the fragile intersections of anxiety, grief, resilience, and hope in a voice both honest and unguarded. These poems reflect on the weight of mental health, the ties of family, and the search for refuge when life threatens to overwhelm. Williams conjures moments of piercing clarity amid darkness, inviting readers to sit with the stark realities of human struggle-yet never without the subtle promise of light. By drawing from deeply personal experience, this collection reminds us that even in our most vulnerable states, there is space for renewal. "Even in the quiet of my own home, there are doors I'm afraid to open, cubbies I don't want to sift through, and dark spaces that raise frissons on my forearms and neck. It's as much a matter of dread as it is a lack of courage. Either way, avoidance is always my call. Thankfully, the poems in A.R. Williams's new collection, A Weathered Ship, don't make this same choice. Page after page here, Williams opens doors to dig through memories or crawls into the tightest of spaces anxiety and depression create. The real gift of these poems is their willingness to face dread for all of us. In lines both sudden and profound, these poems move us closer to some kind of acceptance of these fears, to a realization that spring carries hope no matter how harsh the winter preceding it. For this message, and for this courage, A.R. Williams has my gratitude and admiration."
-Jack B. Bedell, author of Ghost Forest, Poet Laureate of Louisiana, 2017-2019
"In the aptly named A Weathered Ship, A.R. Williams takes us on a journey through the sea of life, exploring anxiety with poems that address relationships, parenting, and the refuge of nature. The chapbook opens with several poems that address mental health issues, beautifully presented in the timeless style of great poets-by showing, not telling. In 'A Familiar Weight, ' Williams offers the striking juxtaposition: 'I am / no longer holding it, but held by it and my anxious ponderings are pondering me.' Throughout the book, he demonstrates his poetic range, exploring various forms in works like 'Echoes of Absence: A Golden Shovel' and the brilliant 'Four Stages of Grief: An Ekphrasis of Mark Rothko's Quartet.' Though A Weathered Ship tackles weighty topics, Williams leaves the reader uplifted, transporting us with vivid imagery encased in evocative phraseology. A lovely read!"
-Samantha Terrell, author of Delta Function
