🎁 My *Favorite Things* List

Gifts for your Favorite Poet or Person (or both!)

Hi Friend,

The holidays are approaching, and I’ve been feeling a bit Grinchy about it all—as if the season has somehow shifted from one of joy to one giant chore when I wasn’t looking. How did that happen?! I’ve always loved the holidays, but this year, they feel like too much (wait, does everything feel like too much??). Like that Christmas song says, “It’s the most wonderful time of the year”—except right now I’m feeling the first part—It’s the most…, no extra words needed.

So I’ve been trying to reframe the season from oh no, the holidays are coming! to something softer, maybe a space where we choose the moments we actually need: a good conversation, a day of PJs and reading in a comfy chair, a spontaneous get-together, hot cocoa, or just a quiet hour watching the fog sink into the trees. For me it’s—slowing down, staying offline, shopping less and/or with more intention.

I know this last year has been a lot for many of us (personally, I’ve felt in some sort of crisis-mode since May 2024!) But I read the other day that the opposite of anxiety is creativity (I always thought it was calmness, as I am highly creative with my anxiety and worst-case scenarios!) But what the author shared was that we can take all those uncomfortable emotions and make something from them—write a poem, journal, paint something, or even string fairy lights in the laundry room just because. Make beauty where there wasn’t any. And I like that idea—leave the world a little better each day. Create when you can.

One of my beliefs as a poet and a human trying her best to navigate this strange, gorgeous, difficult planet is remembering that our time is limited and instead of giving my energy into what I don’t like, I try to amplify and share what I love.

So in that spirit, I thought I’d share a few of my favorite things (and maybe it will make your shopping—if you do shop!—a little easier).

Also—when you can, try to shop indie and/or local this season—your local bookstore, your neighborhood shops, artists and indie sellers on Etsy. I know it’s tempting to click “buy now” because “next day delivery,” but every time we shop locally, our money circulates through our own communities and helps individuals and families over corporations (yay!).

🎁 Favorite Things (The Early Holiday Shopper’s Edition) 🎁

1. POETRY BOOKS! Here’s a list of current favorites:

   BirdBrains: A Lyrical Guide to Washington State Birds edited by Susan Rich and Stephanie DeLaney —This one isn’t officially out yet, but I’ve had the joy of reading some early poems—each about a different Northwest bird—and they’re stunning. The book itself is beautiful (hardback!) and huge! And yes, I have a poem inside about my favorite bird, the kingfisher. (Oh and there’s a BirdBrains release reading at Seattle’s Elliott Bay Books Sunday, December 14, 2025 at 6:00 pm., which I’ll be at.

   

   
   The New Economy by Gabrielle Calvocoressi — I just finished this book and I adored it! Gabrielle does something in these poems that reminds me why we read in the first place—to feeeeel (yes, with five e’s). If you’re someone who has one toe dipped in sadness, but who also walks through the world noticing the small miracles of being alive—this may be exactly the book you need right now. Its opening line is: The days I don’t want to kill myself are extraordinary. From there, the book keeps opening up into how temporary everything is, and yet somehow it keeps choosing wonder and finding joy. It’s my current favorite read—the book I keep returning to, the one that keeps returning to me.

   I Do Know Some Things by Richard Siken —Every page is a seemingly autobiographical prose poem, filled with the sly Siken wit and humor we love from his previous books. I’m reading one poem a day so this book will last as long as possible. (I’m also finding I’m writing more prose poems after reading his poems!)

   Glitter Road by January Gill O’Neil — I’ve been sharing this book since it came out last year, and with good reason. It won the 2024 Poetry by the Sea Best Book Award and the Julia Ward Howe Prize, and it’s a finalist for several others, including winning honors in the Massachusetts Book Awards. This is the end of the blurb I wrote for it, and I still mean every word: I cannot recommend this collection enough. Glitter Road is O’Neil’s most powerful book yet.

2. La Fermière Yogurt — A stupidly expensive but yummy French yogurt that comes in a reusable ceramic pot. This yogurt is more of a dessert (with its 17 grams of sugar), but it’s all natural and comes in the cutest little containers that you can buy lids for. I think I may have entered some sort of yogurt cult with this new love ($3.99 a pop!)—oh, I just learned they go on sale: 2 for $5! Now I’m trying to figure out what art project to do with all my cute containers! Candles?

   

3. Lover’s Eye Jewelry: While we haven’t had an official cover reveal for Accidental Devotions yet, I will share that the cover has an image of a lover’s eye on it. What is a Lover’s Eye, you ask? A “lover’s eye” is a miniature painting of a single eye, created as a token of secret affection during a late 18th and early 19th-century trend. These paintings were often set in jewelry, such as rings, brooches, and lockets, serving as a discreet way for lovers to show devotion while keeping the subject’s identity secret. I found this Etsy shop (IzzyBees Treasures) that handmakes these and have ordered two, which I adore ($18 - $49).

   

   Lover’s Eye: Miniature, early 19th century from Victoria and Albert Museum, London.

4. Plant Propagators: I gave this to a friend last year and she loved it. What’s especially nice is that it sticks right to your window—so it’s both a beautiful little decoration and a useful way to grow new plants. (Oh, and this shop also has hummingbird feeders.) Prices vary from $20 - $50.

   

5. Poet Mugs (& More) at HerbTeller: I gave the Elizabeth Bishop mug ($17) to a friend as a Hanukkah gift, but they also have Sylvia Plath, Rainer Maria Rilke, even Louise Glück, along with Emily Dickinson Dew Herbfume (Oil/Perfume).

   

6. Aqua Notes ($15): Do you get all your best ideas in the shower? I do! So after forgetting lines or ideas for poems, I found these Aqua Notes—a waterproof pad and pencil I keep suction-cupped to a wall in my shower. I realize I have now been using them for over 10 years—which is crazy to me. (Also, I have these linked to the Evil Empire (aka Amazon) as the Aqua Notes website seems to be down today.)

7. Mini Word Cards by Muji — I’m pretty sure I picked these up at Uwajimaya in Seattle and they’ve become one of my favorite little writing tools, but they make such sweet gifts for friends (especially poets). I jot a few words on each card and when I’m writing and need an image or an idea, I pull one at random. (I also make wordlists on index cards because of course I do.) I’ve started making sets of these for poet friends, but if the person isn’t a poet, you can fill the cards with favorite memories or things you love about them. It becomes this tiny deck of joy they can return to.

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The Days of Accidental Devotions (which sounds like a new soap opera!)

Other than that, I’ve been spending my days/my daze deep in the cathedral of proofing my next book of poems, Accidental Devotions, which comes out May 12, 2026 from Copper Canyon Press.

I’m both wildly excited and proud of this book, but also carrying some anxiety that comes with sending something so personal into the world. It’s very much that feeling of Omg, this is the best thing I’ve ever written! and Omg, I didn’t realize vulnerability has a publication date! It’s a lot, but a good lot. I do hope you’ll like it.

Oh, if you ever want to come to a poetry event or class—whether it’s in real life or on Zoom—here’s my current calendar. I’ve been starting to update it with events for 2026!

Also if you know of any opportunities—podcasts, interview series, guest-speaking gigs at universities, online readings, conversations about poetry, desire, Emily Dickinson, technology, grief, the Pacific Northwest, or just being a human in the world—feel free to send them my way. You can reply to this email or always reach me at: kelli@agodon.com

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So that’s the downlow on the book and the favs. I hope you’re hanging in there—maybe even thriving! Or slowing down enough to spot the bits of beauty trying their best to outshine the ugly stuff as we continue spin together on this strange little planet.

Oh! And before I go, I want to share this image I snapped in downtown Seattle—just in case you need to hear this today:

Sending peace, love, and poetry,
xo Kells

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