Soft Bird That I Am (Preorder)
Soft Bird That I Am (Preorder)
Anna Bergstrom
Forthcoming August 2026
…and you realize you have forgotten, just
for a moment, that this is supposed to be a battle.
How does one measure pain What is it to live in a body that reintroduces itself every morning? What would you write in the margins of your own medical report? Calling on sources from ancient philosophers to etymology and ornithology, debut poet Anna Grey Bergstrom sets out to answer these questions and more. Soft Bird That I Am powerfully dissects the particular experiences and strange contradictions of growing up with a chronic illness, while reminding us that every body is a collection of wonders.
POETRY | Paperback | 2026 | 979-8-9909764-9-8
About the Author
Photo by Winky Lewis
Anna Bergstrom wrote Soft Bird That I Am in her junior year of high school. Diagnosed with a rare autoinflammatory disease at age eight, and an avid reader, she has found books about everything from dragon riders to ghost ships, but seldom including those who are chronically ill. She finally decided to write some herself. In her spare time, Anna can be found rereading books that make her cry, fly-fishing, making art, and hopefully not capsizing the boat while sailing with her sister—wait, did you just jinx it? No matter, she can swim.