The World Has Changed From When I Last Was Here: New Edition (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798344745770)

Loss. Uncertainty. Anxiety. Depression. Rage. Hope.

These poems tell a story, one which many will be familiar with, especially those who have been marginalized within late-stage capitalistic systems not built for them. Ageism, sexism, ableism, discrimination and socioeconomic instability set the tone, while nature, family, friendship and love provide subtle encouragement, those hints of beauty and possibility necessary to surviving crises.

Whether it's the workplace, an unstable housing market, institutions or overall society, Gotthardt's poetry explores themes of injustice, lack of compassion, inequity and discrimination by artfully weaving imagery, narrative and metaphor. And while the book is not meant to be interpreted as memoir, it does represent a period of the author's life, one during which optimism was scarce, and every moment presented one more seemingly impossible obstacle. Readers move with Gotthardt through panic and inner struggle to a mental and physical place of greater tranquility and reckoning in an inspiring depiction of tenacity and strength.

From the depths of despair and hopelessness, to a place where peace and acceptance are accessible and tangible, these poems demonstrate why Gotthardt has earned the title "award-winning author." More importantly, they are a courageous statement of what is needed to change the world - for the better.

Transcendent in its exploration of human transformation, Katherine Mercurio Gotthardt's The World Has Changed from When I Last Was Here is a resonant journey from hopelessness and panic to tranquility and reckoning. We are invited to become what the speaker becomes, unraveling and reconciling pain, turmoil, doubt, and change amid vivid natural imagery. Nature becomes the medium in Gotthardt's work-a collection that brings to life the deeply human experiences nestled within the world around us. This work not only resonates but, as the title implies, changes the reader as well. And you will be all the better for it.