Candice M. Kelsey’s new poetry collection, Another Place Altogether (Kelsay Books 2025), is a brilliant exploration of a woman’s relationship with her mother, with her children, and with a world both beautiful and intensely dangerous. The book also explores her relationship with the two places she lives between: Los Angeles and Augusta, Georgia.
The book is divided between the first section, called “Endings,” and the second, called “Beginnings.” In the first poem of the second section, the poet arrives in Georgia from Los Angeles. In Georgia, the California poet experiences discomfort with remnants of the Old South she sees in Georgia. At the end of the poem, “Because Your Husband’s Shirt is Ironed,” Kelsey well demonstrates this culture clash. At the beginning of the poem, a coach assumes her husband’s wife ironed his shirt. Later, she mentions to the other “homecoming moms” that the dads don’t have a group chat, the women ignore her. She says, “O how the South hates a wrinkle.” I love how she moves from misogyny to that ending.
The poems in this book are threaded with or even end on darkness. Some of the most stunning of these dark poems are about her treatment by her mother. In “Flesh and Bone,” she writes that her mother is “declaring me her own / flesh and blood. Nailing me to her.” Contrasted with her mother in this poem is her dead mother-in-law who offers supportive advice (emails from the beyond) and inspires her.
I found the introduction of this “found mother” very powerful and relate it to another aspect of this collection. Kelsey’s poetry here is inspired by other poets, especially women poets. “Menopause: A Cento from Female Poets Laureate” is the most obvious example of this. The homage is very welcome as a hopeful note that balances darker scenes, such as the friend’s brother who molests her when she’s 12-year-old and the friend’s father who abused his wife over her weight. In fact, the gender norm dictating a woman’s slimness is a theme that pops up several times. The poet’s mother was complicit in this emotional torture.
Most hopeful are the poems about the poet’s children. Love and pride shine through even the challenging times. And although sometimes she might want to act like her mother, she does not. In “Mothers & Daughters,” she would have good reason to send a nasty text (because she feels bad herself and her daughter is being selfish, a typical teen), but she does not, whereas her own mother would not have held back.
Near the end, even with the sound of her mother’s critical voice in her mind, she overcomes so that she can love herself: “Whispering Candice, I touch my ear / and hear self-love with these lips.” Read Another Place Altogether and you too will love Candice Kelsey and her powerful words.
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You can find Candice on Instagram at feed_me_poetry
An excellent review, Luanne. Congratulations to Candice.
Thank you, John. She’s a wonderful poet!
Thank you, John!
This does sound like a powerful collection!
Soooo good, Joy!
Thank you so much!
That sounds intriguing and honest writing. My congratulations to Candice Kelsey. Having visited the States as an Aussie tourist early in 2025, I can feel the “culture shock” of shifting from LA to Georgia. (I must confess, one thing I loved on our short time in the south, was the way I was always addressed as “Mzzz GwendOLINE”. I could have got used to that!)
What an interesting comment, Gwen. And thanks on behalf of Candice. Her books reads very much as a memoir in poetry.
In terms of “culture” (see note below), and to some extent, accent, Australia is a more homogenous country. I mean, when moving from one state to another – the differences are not so stark, and you need to have a good ear to spot the accent differences in people whose first language is Australian English. We are multicultural reasonably evenly across the nation, leaving aside the indigenous centres. 30% of our population were born outside Australia, so no one area is exactly the same as the other, but they are equally different.
I’m not explaining this well. What I am trying to say is that the attitudes and backgrounds of the people we met in Oregon, SF/LA, Georgia/Louisiana, Washington DC/New York, etc, were so different as to suggest they came from different countries – and in the case of the Texans, there was no doubt of that in their mind, teehee.
Of course, a whirlwind 7-week trip across 15 (?) states does not an expert make. Just a passing observation from a bewildered Aussie.
Excellent review, Luanne. It sounds like a thoughtful, powerful collection.
Thank you, Merril. Yes, it really is. A memoir, really, although in poetry.
You’re welcome, Luanne.
Love the review of such a wonderful collection!!! xx
Thank you, Cindy! I hope she gets some sales from the review ;)!
Powerful review, Luanne! Congratulations to Candice. Her poetry sounds wonderful and possibly validating for someone like me 🙂 I’m thinking of my own tension-filled relationship with my mom as well as the culture shock I experienced moving from San Francisco to Tallahassee.
Yes, it does sound like a great fit for you, Marie!
Xo
Congratulations to Candace on this compelling review! I experienced similar culture shock when I took a job in rural Virginia in the 1980s. Apparently the Civil War was still going on. Sharing!
Oh goodness! That does sound shocking! Thanks for reading and liking the review, Liz!
You’re welcome, Luanne.