Halee Kirkwood’s debut poetry collection, To Think of a Match, explores insects, ecology, systemic oppression, and the possibilities of imagining a more just world. Through the collection, insects become both subject and metaphor, offering new ways to think about the human and more-than-human worlds.
Kirkwood is an Indigenous Nations Poets fellow, a Jerome Hill Artist Fellow, and recipient of the James Welch Poetry Prize. Their work has appeared in Poetry Magazine, Poem-a-Day, Ecotone, and elsewhere.
To Think of a Match will be published by Curbstone Press on March 15, 2027.
Debutiful is honored to reveal the cover of To Think of a Match, designed by Adam Bohannon. Below, Kirkwood discusses their fascination with insects, the cover’s vivid iridescent colors, and how its beetles evoke the collection’s invitation to strike a match and imagine something new.
While writing the book, did you have any ideas for what you wanted the cover to look like?
I knew that I either wanted insects and/or an abandoned mall on the cover, perhaps a mix of the two. I created a Pinterest board where I juxtaposed these kinds of images together to give to Northwestern University Press and the cover’s designer for inspiration, though I had to watch out for AI illustrations of insects—perhaps a poem to write for another book! I knew that I wanted a vividly colorful cover, and I got exactly that.
Can you explain what the design process was like once you started working with your publishing team?
The design process was fairly quick and simple. I jotted down a list of ideas and inspiration in my publisher’s marketing packet, curated the aforementioned design inspo Pinterest board, and then had a meeting with editor Megan Stielstra to talk through initial designs. Alternate covers had two beetles side by side, and another one big beetle taking center stage. I loved all of these covers and had a hard time picking one! I did at one point see this cover in a hot pink that was really beautiful and exciting, but in the end, I went with the green and yellow iridescence. Working as a bookseller,I haven’t seen these colors used much in contemporary poetry books, so this combination is really exciting to me!
What was it like seeing your finalized cover for the first time?
It was love at first sight! I gave myself time to sit with all of the cover options offered to me to make sure I wasn’t making a rushed decision, but the image I ultimately chose seemed right from the start. As a bookseller, I’m pretty picky about covers and know what kinds of covers I like to face out on a shelf—I like interesting colors, rhythms, and textures in cover art. For whatever reason, I am not as keen on covers with people on the cover or that are cluttered. Seeing this cover for the first time was truly magic.
How does the cover work to convey what the book is all about?
Much of this book is about insects, particularly beetles, and the art definitely conveys this central theme. But beyond that, I really love the asymmetry present in the cover. I think of this collection’s title as the match which lights the fire that will burn all these systemic oppressions down so we can begin to build a more just and beautiful world—for now, my matches are insects—and the asymmetry asks the reader to consider what their match might be, to strike it, and to imagine a place for themself in this book, to feel empowered to go write their own.
Color is also important to me in this cover—iridescence is just one of many magical color expressions out there in the more-than-human world. It is also used to create prismatic seals on dollar bills, fast-fashion clothing items, and, to my guilty delight, eyeshadow. I love that the colorway of this cover art, like my collection, represents and holds this!