Available September 15, 2026

"The punctuated lyrics within Sisi: Re: capture, by design, the fear and fearlessness of an Austrian Empress through familiars: hair, footwear, dress, and deftly aligns historical figure to modern reader. Here, Samuels’ creative abilities gift us a nuanced relationship, shared and timeless, to lover and yet, ultimately, to self—”

       —Dorinda Wegener, author of Four Fields

“Sisi: Re: by Kelly R. Samuels explores the perspective of Sisi, Empress of Austria. Samuels uses rich imagery, asking readers to consider the vastness of identity and memory that cannot simply be preserved through photographs, stories, and documents. Poignant and moving!”

       —Kelli Lage, author of Early Cuts

Kelly R. Samuels is the author of two poetry collections and five chapbooks—the most recent Oblivescence, a finalist for the Edna Meudt Poetry Book Award (Red Sweater Press, 2024), and The Sailing Place (Bottlecap Press, 2026.) She is a Pushcart Prize and Best of the Net nominee with work appearing in Blue Earth Review, Denver Quarterly, Laurel Review, Poetry Northwest, and The Glacier. She lives in the Upper Midwest.