A lyric reckoning with the radical possibility of joy. Jonathan Bailey maps the process of transformation, weaving themes of longing, belonging, and self-discovery. Set against the beauty of the West where the buzz of cicadas and the song of the hermit thrush echo across the desert, the collection draws power from the land's ability to hold both desolation and renewal. Bailey's poems embrace contradiction as essential to healing, refusing to separate pain from beauty or vulnerability from strength. Rather than offering closure, the collection reveals how wholeness is forged through emotional risk and the clarity gained by facing oneself fully.
Author Biography
Jonathan T. Bailey is the author of the literary memoir When I Was Red Clay: A Journey of Identity, Healing, and Wonder and co-author of The Greater San Rafael Swell. His work has been published in Archaeology Southwest, the Salt Lake Tribune, Indian Country Today, and more. As an artist and conservation photographer Jonathan's works turn an eye to the Utah desert that forged him. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.
