Poppet, My Poppet by Ann Chinnis

The smart, entertaining narrator of Poppet, My Poppet conjures a magical world chock-full of wayward ancestors, a spunky, much-loved grandmother, and throughout, a German chocolate cake-baking, social justice warrior mother, “…my alpha and omega.” Readers will revel in rich imagery, playful metaphors, and a thoughtful perspective on the perseverance of women.

–Lisa Bellamy, author of The Northway and Nectar, winner of the 2011 Aurorean chapbook prize.

Ann Chinnis’ debut chapbook is a love poem to the strong women who raise us up and the history of the family we inherit. Chinnis is a masterful storyteller here. We meet an Aqua-netted, chocolate-cake-baking force of nature whose tireless work advocating for women to be ordained as Episcopal priests nurtures a daughter’s dream of becoming a doctor. We meet a tough, Ozarks-born granny whose fierce love carries forward, along with moonshine-brewing bank robber kin and a mysterious grandfather who builds the town courthouse and disappears without a trace. These are poems rich with memory and color. You will not want to put this book down till you’ve read them all.

–Valarie Hastings, winner of the 2020 Steve Kowit Poetry Prize, author of Searching for Dandelion Greens.