Jessica Booth - Author

🧜‍♀️ GROWING GILLS
by Kassi Wilson
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🩵 Q: What’s a memory from your childhood that stands out to you?

A: I loved going behind my grandparents’ house to explore the creek in the woods with my cousin and sisters.

💜 I have been meeting up with other Cincinnati authors and have met some of the most beautiful, creative, inspiring people. And Kassi is one of them. I’m so grateful she shared her first poetry collection with me, and can’t wait to read the next one.

🩵 What’s it about?
In this poetry collection, Kassi blends life with magic and spirituality to reflect on her girlhood outdoors and exploring the deep mysteries of the world.

💜 My thoughts:
Something about poetry makes me feel deeply nostalgic—like I’m tapping into another historic life.

And Kassie’s book manages to encapsulate that nostalgic / fantastic feeling so perfectly.

Likely because some of the poems are, quite literally, memories of girlhood. Others are almost like a primal, shared memory of mermaids. I know I’m not doing this justice, but it’s so beautiful and moving. And, like music, poetry evokes varying emotions for different people.

🩵 My favorites in this collection are “Sea Crickets,” “Pond,” “Creatures,” “ Underwater Baptism.”

💜 Some of the poems in this collection also perfectly distill my own third book (that I’m still waiting to share with the world).

p.s. You can pick this one up or order it from

Honored to hold the Number 6 and Number 3 bestseller spots at The Bookery in 2023! 🥳