Some people are like monarch butterflies-solitary by nature, on a passionate search for somewhere . . .
Courtney Marie Andrews has announced her first poetry collection titled Old Monarch, to be published via Simon & Schuster on 13th May. The cover art was designed by Daren Thomas Magee (@realfunwow / realfunwow.com) which depicts a landscape, like a landskein in which silhouettes of Andrews’ face are also cleverly, yet simply featured.
The poems represent stages in her life, as such the title ‘Old Monarch’ is rather apt for it is the Monarch Butterfly that migrates south to California and Mexico for the winter, some travelling as far as 3000 miles, stopping along the way looking for nectar to continue their journey.
Documenting this journey, the book is separated into three sections, “Sonoran Milkweed,” “Longing in Flight,” and “Eucalyptus Tree (My Arrival to Rest).” Andrews takes readers on her quest to see a brighter world of possibility within humankind and accept mortality within an ever-changing world.
In the first stage of her journey, Andrews explores her childhood in Arizona. Impressionable and naive, she views the world with all its nuances for the first time. Through the landscape of the Sonoran Desert, she explores dark family dynamics from a child’s point of view and her desire to see a brighter world of possibility beyond the dusty desert island.
In the second stage, Andrews leaves home and falls in love while she matures into a young woman. Finally, the concluding stage is the Old Monarch’s arrival to the garden, a journey littered with colour, inspiration and wisdom.
As an acclaimed musician, Courtney’s lyrics have always been vividly shot, painting intimate and honest pictures with a tenderness and tension. Delivered in poetry, they remain as stark and bold; a strong and captivating young voice.
Pre-Order via: https://publishing.andrewsmcmeel.com/book/old-monarch/