SOMEONE I CAN HOLD GENTLY
​Sky (Xylophone) Mykland

Infusing the everyday with unflinching honesty, Sky (Xylophone) Mykland’s debut collection, Someone I Can Hold Gently, dispenses with convention at every turn but never sacrifices accessibility. With style rooted in spoken-word, Mykland’s revelatory poems grow the conversation around neurodiversity, abuse, neglect, and growth. Discover alongside the speaker as they wade through the ripples of childhood pain into young adult experience, as they tinker with the ever-elusive puzzle of self-love within the mirrors of foundational relationships.

"Someone I Can Hold Gently serves as a reminder – sometimes gentle and sometimes not – that You (whoever You are) are worthy of this world and all the love it has to offer. With a deft skill and appreciation for poetry’s ability to crackle in the air, Mykland showcases stunning forms and focus. These poems are closely observed and brimming with life, small brilliant displays all sharing a distinct clarity of vision: Yes, we’ve been hurt before and we may be again, but ultimately, we are here to share those bright moments. To hold and be held and behold." 
​—Zach Goldberg, author of XV (Nomadic Press) and winner of the 2021 Button Poetry Chapbook Contest


90 pages | A5  5.83 x 8.27 in. | 2022
ISBN-13: 978-1-958600-02-3 (paperback)
$15

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Sky (Xylophone) Mykland (they/them) is a nonbinary lesbian poet and self-proclaimed special occasion, currently based in Portland, OR. When they’re not writing poetry, you can find them Googling “androgynous outfits,” walking dogs, applying for public assistance, and thinking about poetry.

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