Review: 'the witch doesn't drown in this one' by amanda lovelace

I've enjoyed a number of amanda lovelace's poetry collections and so I was very happy to see another one appear, especially one which is something of a return, or a reconsideration, of previous themes. These poems will definitely have you feeling some kind of way, most likely anger. Thanks to Andrews McMeel Publishing and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this collection in exchange for an honest review.

Pub. Date: 03/03/2026
Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing

In this one, the witch doesn’t burn or die or drown. In this one, she rages.

In the witch doesn’t drown in this one, celebrated poetess amanda lovelace revisits the titular voice behind her 2018 bestselling collection the witch doesn’t burn in this one. With candor, honesty, and well-earned wisdom, lovelace expounds on the roller coaster of feelings brought on by simply trying to exist as a woman in the sociopolitical climate of 2025’s America. Through poetry that encompasses a myriad of fem-centric themes, including queer love, trans rights, patriarchal oppression, and intersectional feminism, she demands that women of all backgrounds and lived experiences be seen, heard, defended, and loved.
 
the witch doesn’t drown in this one is a deeply felt and hard-won reminder that though some stories that start with bitch-fire end with tear stains, women are powerful, resilient beings who have always contained the strength to rise again, especially when we swim back to the surface together.

I always find it intriguing to figure out when and how authors, poets, artists, etc. choose to go back to certain topics or themes. Even if it feels like the final word has been said on something, life can surprise you and so bring you back to an idea or an image. Sometimes you revisit something with fondness, either fondness at your own younger self, at your naivety or optimism, or at the time and place, but sometimes there is also a sadness or even bitterness to it. In the witch doesn't drown in this one we get an unexpected return, one even lovelace didn't anticipate for themselves. In the seven or eight years since The witch doesn't burn in this one the world has at once become a place that is more aware than ever and yet also one that has become more divided and dangerous. Getting to read lovelace's own thoughts about why they came back to this title in the series, how they made that journey, was really interesting anda good way to start a poetry collection that is at once a return and a departure.

This poetry collection is split into two parts. The first, 'the bitch-fire rages on' is familiar in tone and imagery to lovelace's other poetry collections that I have read. There is the desire to rage, to pick up a sword and conquer your enemies as if they were dragons, or even better, as if they were cruel kings instead of tech CEOs and sundowning presidents. It was in the second part, 'the everlasting flood', however, that I truly felt why lovelace needed to come back to this series, this topic, these ideas. There you can find the sadness of exhaustion, of disappointment, the fear of the fire of your rage that might just burn you before it finds your enemies. I think it is this second part, which so clearly functions as a needed counterpart to the first, that presents something new and probably necessary for readers. While we all desire to rage into the night, we also need to look unflinchingly at ourselves, at our wounds and at our hurt, in order to make it through.

I will say I enjoy amanda lovelace's poetry collections mostly for the imagery that is employed. I like the ideas and how fiercely they are expressed, the clear genuine feeling behind all of it. I will also say, however, that over the years I have become slightly less forgiving towards Instapoetry. I appreciate that this is a divisive term and that not everyone to whom the label is applied feels like it fits. I don't know where lovelace falls on that, but what I intend by the term is poetry without rhyme or meter, usually short lines, and a clear focus on social themes. There is nothing wrong with this as a form of poetry, but I do find myself butting against its simplicity sometimes. That is a more complicated issue for me than it maybe first appears. There are issues touched upon in this collection, for example, which should be talked about simply and straightforwardly, which should not have to be nuanced. However, there is great depth to meter, to alliteration, to rhyming, to all those other poetic techniques which could actually enhance what is being said. I appreciate that this is not that kind of poetry, but I think I will limit myself in engaging with it in the future, except perhaps for lovelace's work, since I am fond of it.

I give this collection...

3 Universes!

While I am no longer quite as fond of this poetry style as I was in the past, I loved revisiting lovelace's own thinking and poetry with them through the witch doesn't drown in this one. Especially the second half of this collection provides some much-needed space to mourn what is being lost.