Deidre's debut poetry chapbook, The Shape I Take, was released by Bottlecap Press in 2023. Her poetry won The Storytellers Contest with The Way Back to Ourselves and has been featured in their literary journal. Deidre is the Editorial Content Director for The Truly Co. magazine, and her essays are often featured there. She is also a frequent contributor for Aletheia Today and has a weekly parenting column in The Village, a local Maine paper.
PUBLICATION
DEBUT POETRY CHAPBOOK
Bottlecap Press
There are few moments in a person's life that are more emotionally dynamic, physically dramatic, or spiritually charged than those days surrounding the birth of a baby. In The Shape I Take, Braley documents those moments in real-time. This collection begins in the dwindling days before the birth of her child, is swept up into the height of labor and delivery, and finishes with the acute poignancy that is unique to those first postpartum weeks.
From predictions for ominous weather and late-night loving to the tension between new life and certain death, the poems in The Shape I Take are not your typical reflections on motherhood. Rather, they seek to capture the realities of the anticipation, desperation, and trepidation that come along with bringing a baby into the world: milk-drenched sheets and all.
"Deidre Braley’s voice is that of a gentle, feminine sage. She so beautifully captures the most universal human experiences as ones of intimacy and holiness. Reading Deidre’s work is like sitting down with a best friend who will tell you all the secrets you are dying to know about life. The Shape I Take, Deidre’s debut chapbook, does just this for her readers. It offers a divine exhale in a busy world that demands we hold our breath."
Kimberly Phinney, author of Of Wings & Dirt & founder of The Way Back to Ourselves
THE TRULY CO. MAGAZINE
Look for my essay & recipe, A Little Bit of Magic
In The Shape I Take Deidre Braley has taken us into the soft luminous corners of motherhood, showing us with unflinching authenticity the vulnerability, anxieties, sacrifices, sacredness, and unrestrained love of parenthood. These poems allow us to witness love in its kaleidoscope of hues—romantic, parental, and divine.
—Nicholas Trandahl, Poet
"Deidre’s writing is full of real life and practical wisdom for living. She writes from such an authentic perspective that makes you feel like you’re sitting with her over good coffee and a scone! Cannot more highly recommend her writing and podcast!
—Matthew Nash, Founder of Kardia Community
Featured on
THE WAY BACK TO OURSELVES