Nest in the Heart

In A Nest in the Heart, Vivienne Popperl conjures the lives of her ancestors to better understand their stories and their influence on her life. The poems will take the reader on a journey through Johannesburg, Europe, and the Willamette Valley of Oregon, as the poet faces the age-old question: "Where do I belong?" Influenced by the poetry of Elizabeth Woody, she explores how the body's physical landscape intersects and resides within the natural, geographical world.

"Calling on striking imagery and rich musical devices, employing a vibrant flair for a poem's ability to convey whole histories in mere vignettes, Vivienne Popperl gives us a moving first collection....A Nest in the Heart is an impressive debut."

-Paulann Petersen, Oregon Poet Laureate Emerita

"It takes courage to tell the truth of our families, grace to make them shine. Poems of love/ stitched/ the blue sky, she says of her youth in Johannesburg. Thankfully, throughout A Nest in the Heart, they still do."

-Claudia F. Saleeby Savage, author of Bruising Continents

"In her stunning first collection, A Nest in the Heart, poet Vivienne Popperl explores the vicissitudes of family with rare lyricism....This fine collection sends shivers up my spine-what beautiful words and what generous sentiments."

-Dale Champlin, author of The Barbie Diaries and Callie Comes of Age