Still Life by Amanda Trout

“Amanda Trout’s Still Life invites readers to kneel at the altar of the overlooked and encourages us to pay homage to the fragility of existence. The language is tender and visceral, transporting readers to sun-baked sidewalks, serene backyards, and even the echoes of childhood. Each word sings the fate of the unsung—goldish, cicadas, betta fish, flowers—and reveals the harrowing fate they endure when they are thought to be insignificant—or when they are not thought of at all. In a stunning display of poetic prowess, this collection holds a microphone to the tiniest of voices, paying tribute to the parts of the world we so often take for granted.”

— Ashley Vogel

“Amanda Trout’s Still Life bears witness to small living things. The concision in language inside these double-couplets invites and convinces readers to sit in stillness with these creatures as we take in their lives. From a child seeing an insect being crushed to ‘fish slipping’ through puddles, these poems are embroidered with the sounds of cicadas calling and a love for all things tiny, misunderstood, and mistreated, ultimately acting as ‘an altar to love and sacrifice.’”

— Maggie Warren

About the Author:

Amanda Trout is a Midwestern US-based writer with a passion for nature, sound, and form. Her work has been featured in The Common Language Project: Ascent, Creation Magazine, Gyroscope Review, Bookends Review, and other journals. She recently won the 2023 Northwind Writing Award in creative nonfiction from Raw Earth Ink. Amanda teaches composition at the University of Missouri-Kansas City and loves spending time with her fish, family, and friends. Instagram: @atrout2972