The Birth of Undoing

Emily Patterson's The Birth of Undoing chronicles the making of a mother. In tender yet unsparing poems, this collection captures one family's journey through infertility, pregnancy, and early parenthood. Both deeply personal and universal in its themes, The Birth of Undoing gives voice to varying facets of being a mother and woman-from loss and longing to wonder and joy. Throughout these poems, Patterson brings her full experience to the page, whether in unspoken conversations in the fertility clinic waiting room; seeking solace in nature from postpartum depression; or perceiving the smallest details anew through the eyes of her daughter. In lyrical and accessible language, Patterson offers a clear-eyed portrayal of the complexities of becoming and being a parent in our world.

Emily Patterson's poetry appears in Christian Century, SWWIM Every Day, North American Review, CALYX, The Penn Review, Cordella Magazine, NELLE, and elsewhere. She is the author of three chapbooks, including So Much Tending Remains (Kelsay Books, 2022), To Bend and Braid (Kelsay Books, 2023), and haiku at 5:38 a.m. (Bottlecap Press, 2024). Her work has been recognized and honored by Sundress Publications, Sweet Lit, and Whale Road Review, and her poem "Small is the Seed" (Tyger Tyger Magazine, 2024) was set to music by composer Katerina Gimon and premiered at Carnegie Hall in 2025. Emily received her B.A. in English from Ohio Wesleyan University, where she was awarded the Marie Drennan Prize for Poetry, and her M.A. in Education from The Ohio State University. She is a curriculum designer for Highlights for Children and lives with her family in Columbus, Ohio. Read more at emilypattersonpoet.com.