Critical Commentary

“For as smart and as talented as Kierstin is, she carries a deep humility and desire to land a poem correctly, no matter what it takes to get it right. 

She's a leader in any group - an outstanding human being and writer.”
----Author and Writing Instructor Laurie Wagner of 27Powers.org

Here’s what writer David Feela had to say about Kierstin’s “Tinderbox Trailhead”:

“This poem surprised me with the way it kept creeping up in my standings as I read and reread the entries. It was certainly on the short list after my first reading, but it’s one of those poems that reveals itself the more a reader approaches it.  A fine piece, the images sharp and able to penetrate deep.  And I love how the linear sense of time is constantly disrupted and then re-fused (no pun intended, unless you think it’s funny) up to such a powerful closing stanza.  Impressive.”

About “Storm Warning” an award winning entry in the 2012 Memoir (and)

— “This was the poem of yours I was most taken with …I truly love the language and energy of these works.   I just loved the way the language careened along … carrying me and everyone else and all along with it.  What was most striking was that, although I could feel what was going on … you actually didn't provide much by way of concrete detail.  This poem truly sails along on its own wind.
Poetry editor of Memoir (and) Carl Rosenstock