The Party is Beginning!

Join me in celebrating my new book, 10+ years in the making.

Friends! Four weeks from today, my debut full-length poetry collection, Psalms of Unknowing, launches into the world!

This summer, I’ve been quietly preparing for its launch behind the scenes. Now it’s your turn to come to the party. Join me!

First, a bit about the collection.

The poems ask a lot of questions, like: Why does it feel so weird to pump milk at work? Did Jesus walk on ice? What’s up with ableist fertility podcasts? How does one truly love thy rightwing neighbor?

These little questions lead to bigger ones, like: How do we reconcile our love with our grief? The world’s cruelty with its beauty? How do we live into a real faith if the old one feels untrue? Written at the intersections of motherhood, feminism, and spirituality, Psalms of Unknowing seeks to reconcile the world’s heartbreak with our longing for its divinity. Sometimes sassy, sometimes serious, the poems carve the way for a different kind of faith—one that deepens not by knowing the answers but by asking the questions. 

Here’s how you can join the party!

This book took 10+ years, and I’d love to have you join me in bringing it into the world! Here are 4 ways. Choose your adventure below…. or try all 4:

1. Preorder the book!

   Any author will tell you (ad nauseum) that preorders are super helpful. It’s not about money. (Poems are as lucrative as your backyard kazoo-band.) But if readers preorder a book, some sort of pixie dust falls upon it, and booksellers actually pay attention to it, which results in more pixie dust, and if enough pixie dust descends, a publisher might just let you write another collection of kazoo-hits! (I mean, poems.) You can preorder anywhere books are sold, but if you preorder here at Words Matter Bookstore, I’ll sign your copy!

2. Enter for a chance to win a free copy! You can support the book for free just by entering this Goodreads giveaway. Ten readers will win a copy. Maybe you!

3. Share the news! Spread the word. Share this newsletter on social media. Or share this link for a signed copy. Or just ask your local librarian, “Hi, have you ordered this mighty little feminist collection of poems yet?” Or ask your dental hygienist after spitting. Folks like poetry! (Also, if you write book reviews, let me know. I can see about getting you an Advanced Reader Copy.)

4. Attend the Launch Reading!

   If you’re local, come hear me and my fellow colleagues, Katie Budris and Ron Block, read poems at Rowan University’s Art Gallery. Wednesday, September 27, 6:30pm!

Here's what other folks say about the book:

“Lanier’s metaphors are masterful… Her language is visceral and unique…. A powerful poetic reckoning with motherhood and religion.” –Kirkus Reviews

“Poignant. Provocative. Downright hilarious. Heather Lanier is an incendiary psalmist and we love her for it.” –Kate Bowler, bestselling author of Everything Happens for a Reason (and a bunch of other brilliant books)

"Lanier writes with formal dexterity and winking lyricism, against misogyny and against ableism, and toward a world worthy of the faithful, the faithless, and everyone in between.” —Natalie Shapero, author of Popular Longing

“By turns tender and sharply observant, Psalms of Unknowing calls us to consider the fragility of the body, the afterlife of grief, and the consolation afforded by love.” –Nancy Reddy, author of Pocket Universe

That’s all for now, friends. Thanks for joining me at this pre-party celebration!