Review by Lisa C. Taylor
Accidental Devotions is a wonder of a poetry collection, organized in four sections: Scrolling for God, Rebel Angels, Cathedral of Clouds, and Unmistakable Prayers. The final poem is called Necessary Prayer, and it is a standalone that the poet identifies as a “devotion”. She would like the reader to take that poem with them or pass on to someone who needs it. Having reviewed her previous poetry collection with Copper Canyon, Dialogues with Rising Tides, I can say this seems in character for this poet.
Kelli’s ability to dwell in a world where words have a kind of alchemy makes her poetry groundbreaking. I find myself believing in her ability to conjure something out-of-the-ordinary. Her titles give clues, infusing pop culture and a bit of magic —Twitter: if you had a mermaid phase as a kid you’re probably bisexual now (p. 7) and Alexa, Why Am I Falling Apart? (p. 12) and referencing Emily Dickinson, spiders, smartphones, and social media. It might be easy to dismiss this work as overly concerned with these contemporary times instead of profound commentary. It’s subtle; these private prayers to the absurdity of the human condition. It’s also necessary, guiding the reader to see tiny streaks of hope in a ravaged landscape. One of my favorite poems is Love Poem in Which Nature is Nonbinary and Uses They/Them Pronouns.
They are the strength of the snail, the softness
of the wolf’s tongue. The magnificence of the mosaic!,
my friend said as she held my hand, both of us
watching the sunset collapse. (p. 40)
This poem begins with the line, “Because there is a man who likes to trample over/what’s blooming, he thinks nature is a woman.” In this poem and collection, I want to believe in our better angels, the ones who “tucked twenty dollars/into the hand of a stranger asking for change.” (p. 25). These poems highlight messy, painful truths as a part of the same mosaic that finds gorgeous and unexpected moments when “the monarchs landed in your hair.” (p. 25)
Sexual awakenings and a deep reverence for the natural world are juxtaposed with a progression of life that includes cruelty, depression, and even death. “It’s hard to watch something you love get swallowed, but don’t we do the same with our time every day?” (p. 46), Kelli Russell Agodon demonstrates both range and a wisdom that veers toward cynicism but never goes there. Instead, she’s riffing on star fruit, her favorite orange sweater, sunsets, hummingbirds, and flowers. She is a poet’s poet, respectful and honoring of the power of language. Lest her work sound esoteric, these poems are accessible, translating the contemporary world in a way that makes commonplace absurdities seem almost sacred. Poetry, art and music have the power to save us again and again, as we text message love, pray in iambic pentameter. Even a search history becomes sacred in the absurdity of our public lives. The questions we ask of Google or AI transform into deeper insight into ourselves and the conundrum of living under the watchful eye of the internet.
Technology has taken over many aspects of our lives, upending privacy and seemingly replacing human-to-human connection. In Kelli Russell Agodon’s capable hands, she uses humor, a summoning of poets who continue to influence like Emily Dickinson and Rainer Maria Rilke, and a subtle mastery. Her poems feel as if she’s speaking directly to us but upon rereading, it becomes clear her language is steeped in both contemporary and classical references.
Accidental Devotions is a collection for this time period but also a collection to reread and pass on to the questioning and those of us desperately searching for that one tenacious daisy that can bloom amid the rubble. “Is it selfish to want beauty in a burning world?” (p. 55). I expect Kelli Russell Agodon would say no. After reading this collection, I would agree.
Kelli Russell Agodon is the cofounder of Two Sylvias Press and teaches at Pacific Lutheran University’s low-res MFA program, and the Ranier Writing Workshop. She co-hosts the poetry series Poems You Need with Melissa Studdard. Her previous collection, Dialogues with Rising Tides was a finalist for the Washington State Book Award and shortlisted for the Eric Hoffer Book Prize. She is also a recipient of the Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award and the Poetry Society of America’s Lyric Poetry Prize. www.agodon.com
Accidental Devotions by Kelli Russell Agodon
Copper Canyon Press, 2026 $17.00
ISBN 9781556597268
Lisa C. Taylor is the author of the novel, The Shape of What Remains, three poetry collections and two short story collections. Her second novel, Like Gravity, Like Love is forthcoming in 2027. Lisa holds an MFA and is co-director of the Mesa Verde Writers Conference and Literary Festival in Colorado.