Afraid of poetry? Carolyn Martin is here to change your mind.
Metrophobia is a laugh-out-loud, deeply relatable collection from award-winning poet Carolyn Martin. Whether she’s blessing a feral cat, reporting live from the Sermon on the Mount, or riffing on AI and aging, Martin busts the myth that poetry is just for scholars or romantics with quills.
With her signature blend of wit, tenderness, and sharp observation, Martin invites readers into a world where daily life becomes funny, fierce, surprising, and sacred. These are poems for readers who say “I don’t get poetry,” for writers who crave fresh inspiration, and for anyone who finds meaning in the mess.
Available on August 18, 2025
“Reading Carolyn Martin’s Metrophobia is like a late-night visit with an old friend. These poems are honest, wise, and fun. Martin turns familiar sayings upside down: ‘forget-to-do lists,’ ‘earwitness,’ ‘it goes with saying.’ She shares days ‘when the couch won’t let go’ and what it’s like to be 80 years old: ‘I’ll applaud each wrinkle, dark spot, / and white chin hair for showing up.’ As we chuckle over cheese and Cabernet in the orange glow of the fireplace, we feel the same way—but Martin’s poems say it better.”
—Sue Fagalde Lick
Author of Blue Chip Stamp Guitar, The Widow at the Piano, and Dining Al Fresco with My Dog
“Are you a librocubicularist: someone who reads in bed? I learned the word from Carolyn Martin, and wherever you read this book, you will smile, you will laugh out loud. Whether writing about cats, poetry, or a reporter talking to Saint Pete about the Sermon on the Mount, this poet is both witty and wise. As God says in this collection, ‘Yes! Yes! Oh, Yes!’”
—Penelope Scambly Schott
Author of ON DUFUR HILL and past recipient of Oregon Book Award for Poetry
“I knew I was in for a treat from the title of Carolyn Martin’s new book—and the fun kept going with poems like ‘The Chinwagger’s Complaint’ and ‘To My Soon-to-be-Favorite Advice Columnist.’ Martin pulls off serious undertones with her steady wit woven into rich language. As she explores the joys and ironies of poetry and struts ‘shamelessly across any space / shouting abundant words without a blush,’ we get to ride beside her and savor every moment.”
—Joanne Durham
Author of To Drink from a Wider Bowl
Ready to face your irrational fear of poetry?