“Transfixed by Mary’s unbridled words, I found myself catching my breath as the poems opened me to long forgotten memories. Mary’s poetry evokes the wilderness, the flight of Baba Yaga, and raw, human emotions; relatable, honest words that scrape the underworld of the soul. This is a collection you can return to over and over, poems for months like September, November, and any day where you long to dip into the mystic. I have long loved the integrity of Mary’s word witchery – it excavates the things many have struggled with and risen from.”
—Monika Carless, Transforming the Mother Wound and The Dark Pool Trilogy
“In her debut collection, More Animal Than Human, Mary A. Rogers has crafted a spell to heal a lifetime of anguish and abandonment, through the incantations of her poetry. These poems are accessible, open to all who journey on a path to spiritual reclamation, building a fire around the ever-blooming soul. She writes, “that night i slept/ in the belly of a whale/ i touched the edge/ of infinity/ i wept as i beheld/ the ineffable beauty/ flesh, tears, heartbeat/ soul salt and bone/holy whore, made mother/ fallen angel, turned crone.” This wolf-song book of wild reckoning swerves from the darkness of grief, to a respite in the quiet forest of trees, to a phoenix goddess becoming whole. “i watched her transform. her eyes lit with desire and feather by feather— she grew wings and caught fire.” From the ashes, Mary’s words light the way back to herself.”
–Kai Coggin, author of Mother of Other Kingdoms and Mining for Stardust
“Ever the healer and the mystic, Mary has brought her true spirit to these pages. The verses of each rhythmic compilation showcase just how she feels the natural forces working within her. Much like the great balladeers of the wild world, Mary has created a collection of poetic anthems that speak volumes about her sensitivities and emotions within life itself. Such an excellent masterpiece that needs to be celebrated!”
–Gerry Ellen, A Big Piece of Driftwood
“i’m thinking of wide-open spaces
of choice, acceptance, and grief
how often my thoughts go concave
reaching deep into the darkness
for stillness, comfort, and release
and how forest, wild, and ocean
moss, moon, and stars
have the power to resuscitate my soul
i’m thinking of all the little things
how they add up to become all the things
the everything’s
and how it’s not always something
that can be pointed to and named
i’m thinking of the love affair
between the sun and moon
twilight, sunrise, and eclipse
the moment when two
suddenly become one
i’m thinking of moonlit vistas
and ancient prophecies
about rock and wave
and how i come alive
like a horse unbridled— untamed
mounting the sea and riding the tide
i’m thinking of hope, want, and desire
feelings and feral need
birds and ancestral whispers
hushed poetry dancing through the trees
and what it is to have a heart
beating through ribs of cage
of wings and flight, life and death
and everything in-between.”
-‘The In-Between’ from Animal Than Human
To purchase More Animal Than Human, click here.
Publication Date: February 11, 2025
Paperback ISBN: 978-1-951724-26-9 eBook ISBN: 978-1-951724-27-6
Mary A. Rogers is a Certified Life Coach, Herbalist, Ordained Minister, Mystic, Reiki Master, and Writer. The founder of Woods and Wander, she is a widely published author and a regular columnist at Medium & Vocal.
A verified Native (Apsáalooke/Crow) and Korean (her father was born in Seoul), her walk in this life is very close to the land and all that inhabits the wild- often more animal than human.
Indie Blu(e) Publishing 