Portrait Studio on the Ridge by Beth Kanell

Beth Kanell lives in northeastern Vermont among rivers, rocks, and writers. Her poems seek comfortable seats in small well-lit places, including The Comstock Review, Indianapolis Review, Gyroscope Review, The Post-Grad Journal, Persimmon Tree, Northwind Treasury, RockPaperPoem, and Rise Up Review. Her collection Thresholds came out in 2026 (Kelsay Books).

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PRAISE:

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One of the most moving poems in “Portrait Studio on the Ridge” declares that “People who haven’t lost don’t guess/ the way old passions stir and swirl below.” Beth Kanell does know, and her keenings over loss are excruciatingly eloquent, while the poet’s voluminous heart, everywhere evident, is exactly what engenders that eloquence. It also completely steers her poems away from the mawkish. We should also note Kanell’s facility with free verse and more restrictive modes like villanelle or ballad. Her formats never seem labored, always seem precisely right for her intention. Read “Portrait Studio on the Ridge” at your own heart’s peril: be prepared, that is, for searing emotion that is rarely so beautifully presented.

–Sydney Lea, Vermont Poet Laureate 2011–2015

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