Hackles

I remember thinking,

I am from a place where I can always hear a train.

then thinking

Oh-

I am from a place.

Intricate, expansive, and darkly clever, Hackles is a collection of poems that combs every bit of its landscape. Rooted in Appalachia (and sometimes flying over and away), Makayla Danielle Gay's debut collection weighs confinement and freedom with a careful gaze.

The world of Hackles is teeming with creatures, textures, and sound. These poems creak with local folklore and looming violen...