Halcyon

The début self-published poetry anthology by Madeline Blair (née Udelhofen), as seen in Art Coop (Urbana, IL) and Quimby's Bookstore (chicago, IL). "Structured as a four-part odyssey, Halcyon moves from 'prelude,' to 'the hurt,' through the '2020 interlude,' and, at long last, it reaches the shore of 'the happy.' a symphony of personal, family, and classical greek mythologies, Halcyon reads as both epic and specific. abandoned by her father and left in mortal danger like oedipus and paris, blair's narrator journeys into the underworld, a modern-day persephone who is pulled back from the brink of death, but left forever altered." -Summary from Smile Politely What began as angsty scrawlings in my notes app my freshman year of high school later transcended into heavily workshopped, press-ready poetry out of my university creative writing courses. The beginning of 2020 gave me the free time I needed to edit and design this as a passion project, and I continue to hold it dear to my heart. Features a variety of poetry and one special essay written in my high school AP English Language course as a personal study on vulnerability.