Feeding the Ghosts

_Find the beauty._ In 2017, writer and educator Rahul Mehta began a writing practice to find solace and beautyin the natural world, in their family and friends, and in everyday simplicitiesduring a time of political tensions, environmental disasters, a global pandemic, and personal disappointment. From the vibrant color of a blade of grass, to their dog sleeping quietly in the corner, to delicate petals fallen from a rose, a mindfulness of the beauty in their surroundings helped offset the feelings of fear, outrage, and helplessness. The result of this exercise is a profoundly moving poetry collection that explores Mehta's South Asian and Appalachian culture, their Queerness, their relationships with self and others, race, privilege, and a deep admiration of nature and the spiritual realm. With the ear of a poet and a novelist's understanding of narrative motion, Mehta draws in the reader through humor, tenderness, and complexity. This debut poetry collection from the Lambda Literary Awardwinning writer is a magnificent celebration of our own ordinary yet miraculous daily livesan acknowledgment of the "messy beauty ugly beauty" in the world.