Winner of the 2021 Press 53 Award for Poetry, A Tom Lombardo Poetry Selection
Smile, or Else is a moving collection of elegiac poems dealing with the death of Brenner’s six-year-old son, and her and her family’s ongoing trek toward healing.
“Beautiful writing about the death of a young son. Each poem is more powerful than the last. A hard and horrific subject handled with complete love and caring.”—Madeline Sharples
“Brenner’s poetry is an odyssey. Traversing largely uncharted lands of primal grief and pain, it brings the reader to an improbable destination: the small turning point where grief and loss become joy and transcendence.”
“Chanel Brenner’s poetry stirs, provokes, elevates with its precision and insight. These poems are expertly crafted and beat with a true poet’s heart.”
“Clear and cutting as glass, Chanel Brenner’s poems will challenge everything you think you know about grief. Smile, or Else is her journey through the unimaginable labyrinth that is the death of a child. And yet, I would not categorize this book as “sad,” rather as what the Spanish call duende, those moments in art where spirit speaks through the poet, rising up from the depths of sorrow. “We Never Heal, Just Remember Less,” the poet titles one of her gorgeous, devastating poems. How Brenner negotiates the rough spots and savors the sweet makes for a haunting, brilliant book that I could not put down.”
Samples of Chanel’s poems and essays about the loss of her son and navigating grief.
One-on-one writing through loss sessions and grief support workshops available.
Poetry collections about the first years of loss and ongoing grief.