Welcome Calm, Silence Tyrants: Adult Lullabies

by Melanie Weldon-Soiset

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Poems in Species of Concern examine braided journeys of personal loss and environmental grief, of grasping and letting go. Each section opens with a poem set in a speculative future; subsequent poems return readers to the teeming planet we inhabit, where grounding practices of mindfulness allow us to manage many species of concern, humans among them, both vulnerable and culpable. Throughout the collection are persona poems in which strong female figures, many of them mythical—Anemone, the Sieve Angel, the spider, the red velvet ant, and others—take a stand. These guides dare to break the fourth wall and speak directly to the world; they defy their reputations and talk back. This collection commemorates and rejoices in Appalachian and Piedmont landscapes and species, with stories of resilience and hopes for the future. 

POETRY / General

ISBN: 978-1-962082-46-4 (print; softcover; perfect bound)

LCCN: 2024950265

106 pages

Author Biography

Amelia L. Williams, PhD, a medical writer, hiker, and amateur naturalist, lives in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. She coordinated “The Ties That Bind: A #NoPipelines Collaborative Art and Story Project” of over 250 fabric braids made by citizens in affected communities to protest proposed fracked-gas pipelines in Virginia. Her full-length poetry collection was a finalist for the 2022 Wandering Aengus Press Book Award. Twice a Pushcart nominee, she served as Assistant Editor with OneEarthSangha and earned a residency at the Hambidge Center. In 2022 she was a semifinalist for the Pablo Neruda Prize for Poetry. Proceeds from her 2016 chapbook, Walking Wildwood Trail: Poems and Photograph, benefit local environmental organizations. Her poems and hybrids have appeared in TAB, Streetlight Magazine, The Hollins Critic, ANMLY, Rabbit, Nimrod International Journal, K’in Literary Journal, The Hopper, Poetry South, and elsewhere.

Endorsements

“Welcome Calm, Silence Tyrants: Adult Lullabies is a wide-ranging collection by a serious poet. Melanie Weldon-Soiset understands the weight of words and the power they have both on and off the page. She also knows when to inject levity and when to let gravitas do its work. These lullabies are generous offerings, and in these fraught times, we need them more than ever.”
—Maggie Smith

“Honestly, I’ve never read anything quite like Welcome Calm, Silence Tyrants: Adult Lullabies, which opens with an exceptional essay, a fascinating establishing shot that orients the reader for the beautiful, lyrical, and delightfully surprising poems to follow. Part whimsy, part balm, part fable, part fairy tale, but always full of virtuoso moments that call up the poems of Lorca, the paintings of Dali, and a warm glass of milk, this book is a must read.”
—Kathleen Driskell, author of Goat-Footed Gods; Kentucky Poet Laureate 2025–2026

“Melanie Weldon-Soiset masterfully weaves together established poetic forms with bold experiments, challenging us to understand the humble lullaby not only as a song of comfort but as a profound act of care that becomes inherently radical when extended to a world desperate for healing, tenderness, and action. Her adult lullabies invite us to embrace the revolutionary potential of gentleness and artistic attention as a means for practicing compassion, justice, and conscious resistance against authoritarianism, violence, and oppression." — Erin Keane, author of RUNAWAY: Notes on the Myths That Made Me and Demolition of the Promised Land "Melanie Weldon-Soiset's lullabies gently nudge us to pause, to breathe, and to consider the vibrancy and beauty around us. Her verses are a needed balm for weary souls during difficult times." --Dorcas Cheng-Tozun, author of Social Justice for the Sensitive Soul: How to Change the World in Quiet Ways

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