About the book

Willows Wake and Walk Away pieces together a life fractured by trauma. Over the course of a year, these poems take tentative steps toward autonomy, and capture the terrifying lure of freedom. Through the dissonant rhythms of relapse and revelation, silence and speech, our speaker confronts the persistence of memory, the collapse of childhood’s fairytales, and the fragile work of building a new home out of healing. In the act of telling, she claims what was once unsayable, shaping a future out of the echoes of what once was.

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(Please note that this is a preorder—you’ll receive the book in the mail or your email inbox on or before November 18, 2025. All orders over $60 come with free worldwide shipping. Use the code FREESHIP at checkout!)

Advance praise

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Press & reader reviews

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About the author

Haley Wooning is a writer and high school English teacher from the Bay Area. Her debut poetry collection is Mothmouth (Spuyten Duyvil 2019). An avid reader and puzzle lover, she also enjoys playing story-based games with her friends and community.

Reader & launch photos

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