Wonder is the Word

"...Here is an important, emerging voice in Asian American letters. Kim writes beyond their years. Wonder is the Word is a wonderful collection." - Mark Kyungsoo Bias, winner of the 2022 Joseph Langland Prize and the 2020 William Matthews Poetry Prize

"...With its beautifully crafted metaphors and depictions of sacred love and ritual, Wonder is the Word is a tender portrayal of sublime emotion, leaving readers breathless and hanging onto every word." - Katie Proctor, author of A Desire for Disaster, Seasons, and HELICOPTER HONEY

"Captivated by every introspective poem, I felt enmeshed in Kim's waves of wisdom..." - Keri Stewart, author of My Butterfly Effect, The Sun Will Rise Again, and others

"...Mesmerizing in its imagery and passionate voice, Kim conjures an adventure where 'the world rushes out from below, ' a work of magic that none should miss." - Jessica Kim, author of L(EYE)GHT and 2022 National Youth Poet Laureate Finalist

With enchanting reverence and lyrical verve, Louise Kim weaves together narratives, legends, truths, and legacies in Wonder is the Word. In their stunning debut, Kim's poems bridge the specific and the universal, the natural and the manmade, the fleeting and the omnipresent. The speakers within these pages contemplate themes ranging from ardent love to delicate unity and grapple with the joys and pains of change and growing older. Kim is an heir to literary lineages that span Greek myths, French existentialists, Beat poets, and Terrance Hayes' golden shovel. Brimming with vivid portrayals of tender living, Wonder is the Word is a rich meditation on the wondrous moments that comprise our lives.