Books
Rare Wondrous Things: A Poetic Biography of Maria Sibylla Merian
Green Writers Press (2020)
This poetic biography of Maria Sibylla Merian (1647-1717), a German illustrator and naturalist traces the fragments of Merian's life.
Order a signed copy here or order directly from your local bookseller.
Critical attention for Rare Wondrous Things
"Rare Wondrous Things revisits Enlightenment questions of mortality and resurrection with a 21st-century sensibility. Bensel’s collecting, rearranging, and curating give new life to Merian’s story. At the same time, the poems document old orders that objectified and constrained. This book disrupts what I knew of Maria Sibylla Merian and makes me even more curious to understand her life and her work."
—Diane LeBlanc for Tinderbox Poetry Journal
"What does erupt is nothing short of revelatory, both in Merian’s life and Bensel’s poetry. Bensel conjures crystalline instructions “to kill a butterfly quickly,” and the exquisite violence of such an act becomes a method of preservation. This seemingly unethical killing serves to “keep each / rare, wondrous thing / and have it never fade from sun // in its now still sanctuary.” This creative mission reads as both Merian’s and Bensel’s [...]. Once again, poet meets naturalist in the vibrant space of the poem."
—Reuben Gelley Newman for The Ocean State Review
"Bensel’s work helps amplify Merian’s reemergence by giving her biography a unique voice—drawing us into Merian’s life of art through another form of art. Rare Wondrous Things is an impressive addition to the recent wave of exhibits, histories, and children’s books created about Merian. Bensel’s word-paintings encourage an interactive reading—so, at a time when people are still hesitant to venture into museums, let us continue the discoveries through Merian’s digitized portfolios at the Royal Collection and British Library."
—Anna McFayden for EcoTheo Review
Chapbooks
Lies to Tell the Body
Seven Kitchens Press (2018)
Part of the Summer Kitchen Series, this chapbook has been released in a limited edition run of 49 copies. Please visit the Seven Kitchens Press website to order. To learn more about Lies to Tell the Body, read Alyse's interview at Speaking of Marvels.
Not of Their Own Making
dancing girl press (2014)
Reinventing the mermaid myth from the legend of Melusine to Splash.
"Melusine Spinning Yarns" and "Where There is Mystery, There Is A Woman" appear in Till the Tide: An Anthology of Mermaid Poetry, from Sundress Publications.
Shift
Plan B Press (2012)
Shift depicts working class individuals—truck drivers, factory workers—living on the edge. In raw, spare language, a series of narrative yet lyric persona poems negotiate distance, return, and inevitability. Juxtaposing form and everyday language, Shift is filled with strong, resonating voices.
"Saturday Night Reunion,” “Make Do and Mend,” “Pin-Up Girls,” and "Two Years Until I See Him Again“ in Word Riot.
"Bensel has a talent for creating very specific images that imply multiple meanings. It is easy to see the places in which these poems exist. There is also a definite connection to nature, with birds and water making frequent appearances, and the temperature is often chilly."
—Review of Shift by Sara Habein at Word Riot
"Saturday Night Reunion,” “Make Do and Mend,” “Pin-Up Girls,” and "Two Years Until I See Him Again“ in Word Riot.
"Bensel has a talent for creating very specific images that imply multiple meanings. It is easy to see the places in which these poems exist. There is also a definite connection to nature, with birds and water making frequent appearances, and the temperature is often chilly."
—Review of Shift by Sara Habein at Word Riot