In her debut poetry collection, Mary Mercier explores what it means to be a part of nature rather than a mere onlooker. Here, science merges with metaphor to reveal our intrinsic connections with the natural world—relationships too seldom recognized. Small, ordinary events eclipse the day's headlines. With a quiet step, these poems expose nature's wisdom and depth, suggesting a path for the rest of us.

Mary Mercier is a poet inspired by the bite of old glaciers. Her chapbook, Small Acts, was published by Parallel Press and her poems have appeared in Northern Woodlands, The Comstock Review, Abandoned Mine, Spillway, and other journals. Her new book, Five Reports of Fugitive Dust, was finalist for the Birdy Poetry Prize and is now available from Meadowlark Press.

Marilyn Annucci is the author of The Arrows That Choose Us, winner of the 2018 Press 53 Poetry Award and the Council of Wisconsin Writers' Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award. She is also the author of two chapbooks: Luck (Parallel Press) and Waiting Room (Hillstead-Museum). She is a professor in the Department of Literature, Writing, and Film at the UW-Whitewater.

Livestream: Mary Mercier in Conversation with Marilyn Annucci