The Way a Wound Becomes a Scar

The Way a Wound Becomes a Scar is a stunning volume of poems, truly a book of the body, both literally and metaphorically, that beautifully blends concision and stylistic grace. Especially moving is its swift, precise narrative, articulated with enormous lyric depth, of a kidney transplant from sister to brother. I have no trouble ranking Emily Schulte among our most promising younger poets.
- B. H. Fairchild



To read The Way a Wound Becomes a Scar is to enter a world of deep pain and deep beauty, and to exit with a renewed faith in the regenerative power of story, memory, and myth. In this extraordinary collection, Emily Schulten moves beyond the story of a life-saving kidney transplant to probe the edges of familial and romantic love and the connections that bind us all. With images as precise as a scalpel's blade, these captivating, necessary poems will linger in the body and mind long after the book is closed.
- Chelsea Rathburn



These are poems of sacrifice and love, of learning how to live in the real world. They offer no easy answers. Emily Schulten is young and energetic and talented. She will leave her mark on American poetry.
- David Bottoms