Wolves in Shells

Kimberly Ann Priest

ISBN 10: 1496243706 / ISBN 13: 9781496243706

Published by University of Nebraska Press, US, 2025

About this Item

Winner of the Backwaters Prize in PoetryWolves in Shells is a modern monomyth telling the story of a woman navigating homelessness, trauma, and memories as she attempts to leave a violent partner. Reflecting on her familial heritage, this survivor grapples with the way she, the women of her history, and her daughter have been conditioned to accommodate the demands of the male ego and predation. Reflective, clear-eyed, and incisive, the poems of Wolves in Shells feature O-Six, a wolf born into the rewilding territory of Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s who serves as a metaphor for women who must cope with violence and survive on their own. Drawing from Gaston Bachelard's quote "wolves in shells are crueler than stray ones," the narrative considers how survival requires a balance of protectiveness, risk, trust, and escape.

Seller Inventory # LU-9781496243706

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Wolves in Shells
• Publisher: University of Nebraska Press, US
• Publication Date: 2025
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1496243706
• ISBN 13: 9781496243706
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Winner of the Backwaters Prize in Poetry

Wolves in Shells is a modern monomyth telling the story of a woman navigating homelessness, trauma, and memories as she attempts to leave a violent partner. Reflecting on her familial heritage, this survivor grapples with the way she, the women of her history, and her daughter have been conditioned to accommodate the demands of the male ego and predation. Reflective, clear-eyed, and incisive, the poems of Wolves in Shells feature O-Six, a wolf born into the rewilding territory of Yellowstone National Park in the 1990s who serves as a metaphor for women who must cope with violence and survive on their own. Drawing from Gaston Bachelard’s quote “wolves in shells are crueler than stray ones,” the narrative considers how survival requires a balance of protectiveness, risk, trust, and escape.
 

About the Author

Kimberly Ann Priest is an assistant professor in the Department of Writing, Rhetoric, and Cultures at Michigan State University. She is the author of the poetry books Slaughter the One Bird and tether and lung.