when the daffodils die
when the daffodils die
when the daffodils die, the debut publication of Darah Schillinger, is now available as a paperback or PDF (as well as wholesale and through most distribution channels). This beautiful chapbook includes an assortment of poems exploring love, loss, and the self.
Within the pages are various references to the wonders of nature, providing her readers with the tangible to describe intangible feelings. From wintery landscapes to cloudy skies and yellow summer days, Darah wields her poetry within when the daffodils die to bring her readers on a journey through their (and her) relationship with themselves and with those they choose to surround themselves with. Young love, a mother’s love, self-love, spiritual love, all-encompassing love. Her willingness to write about the many facets of love and the way she challenges both herself and the long-standing truths within society about women and their place within the world makes this collection of poetry one of courage, defiance, and an appreciation for the overlooked things in life.
Darah previously interned for the literary magazine EcoTheo Review in summer 2020 and has had poetry published in her school literary journal, AVATAR, on the Spillwords Press website, in issue one of the Solstice Literary Magazine, and in the Maryland Bard’s Poetry Review 2022. Darah currently lives in Perry Hall, Maryland, with her parents, and in her free time, she likes to write poetry and paint. She plans to pursue an MS in professional writing and hopes to establish a career in publishing after its completion.
You can learn more about Darah in an interview with Vignette Managing Editor Siobhan McKenna here. Find Darah on Facebook and Instagram to show her some love.
Cover and interior artwork by Alexa Laharty.
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Editorial Reviews:
“Schillinger metamorphosizes an entirely new way of experiencing feelings in using connections between nature and other overlooked treasures of the world to ground our own personal sentiments. The resemblance in her humanizing comparisons between earthly processes and our own life journeys evokes such deep curiosity about our own standing in this world. . . . After reading when the daffodils die, I have an appreciation for how Schillinger’s poems work to configure different presentations of love for ourselves, for others, and for all things unseeming. Her work unearths the perceptions we often see in society today and sets a tone for empowerment, for how we see each other and ourselves.”
--Z Eihausen, Sundress Publications Reads
“Schillinger’s book, “when the daffodils die,” is FANTASTIC. She writes such detailed, personified, artful imagery, and she makes everything seem beautiful, even rotting wood, dirt, and the often overlooked parts of nature. Do read this one! And then read it again!”
--Jenna, Amazon reviewer
“Schillinger’s debut chapbook is truly a delight for any reader, sparking the imagination with her masterful use of imagery and metaphor that draws attention to the often overlooked aspects of life. Schillinger’s work evokes in the reader strong, thoughtful, and borderline physical responses to her splendid poetry!”
--C. Hall, Amazon reviewer
“I love this book of poetry! It speaks to all the realms of deep emotional insight whether the author is touching base with the elemental nuances of blackberries, or bones and branches. The metaphors are deep, some dark but with a lightness to them . . . plainspoken with a dash of sexy. The pages are like potato chips, you can’t read just one.”
--Lee S., Amazon reviewer
“The title of this poetry collection perfectly encapsulates the themes and topics that Schillinger comes back to throughout this book: fleeting moments, the body, and nature. Schillinger’s observation that the body reflects the natural world around it is apt and one that she muses over time and again as the overarching theme of this collection. She is excellent at capturing a moment in her poetry that you can only revisit as you read this book over and over again. If you have any interest in reliving a scene that synchronizes body and natural world, buy this book.
--Leah V., Amazon reviewer