In the Middle of a Better World: Poems

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What do we risk by living our most authentic lives? More importantly, what do we gain?

In the Middle of a Better Worldis a queer guide to love and identity, a collection both formally inventive and infused with a bright, shimmering imagination. Part elegy, part battle cry, this highly anticipated new collection by Grant Chemidlin is unabashedly joyous in its exploration of desire, human connection, and community—those we’re born into and those we build ourselves. Grant Chemidlin is the author ofWhat We Lost in the Swamp(Central Avenue Poetry, 2023), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. His poems can be found inThe Los Angeles Review,Palette Poetry,The Florida Review,Quarterly West, and the Academy of American Poets, among other publications. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and cat. You can find him on IG @grantcpoetry or at grantchemidlin.com.Cruising

Two men meet in the middle
of a secret,

hide behind
the bushes. The trees,

who see no deviance, offer
their trunks for cover.

Two men meet in the middle
of desire, slip out

of their armor, bask
in the unclad sun,

in each other’s arms,
in each other’s tongues.

In the middle
of a better world:

Two men, undone.
Two men, unbelievably soft

when they touch. Even
the stubble-studded chins

are silken moss.
A twig-crack. A gruff shout

in the distance
& two men

disappear.
All that’s left—two hollowed logs

holding their breath

on the forest floor.
“'Each boy / has no shadow, in the firelight, dancing, / untethered.' How gloriously free, this image. How vital, to be this free. And how dangerous, to find such freedom, to continue living, dancing, this way. Formally inventive, full of sensual detail and psychological insight, this book examines homophobia, in particular internalized homophobia, and all the ways out—out of the closet, out of the fear, into joy and sex and tenderness and community and self-knowledge and love. Grant Chemidlin’s work makes me grateful all over again for poetry and for queer people. —Chen Chen,author ofYour Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency

“In the Middle of a Better World carries us from the fearful, lonely dark of the closet out into the bright, brilliant clarity of the self understood. Grant Chemidlin's better world is enriched by conflict, pain, and resolution, by family and friendship, by earnest sex and ecstatic love. It is an adventure in the quotidian surreal. Here we find the beloved picking up and folding a pool of sunlight from the floor, Jesus flying high overhead in a fighter jet, a twink walking into the Republican National Convention. Here we find a poet discovering himself and sharing his discoveries with unabashed generosity, courage, and joy.” —Jaswinder Bolina,author ofEnglish as a Second Language and Other Poems

“How often does a poem make you smile? Turn up one corner of your mouth in sweet recognition? Grant Chemidlin’sIn the Middle of a Better Worldmade me feel as though I was seated beside a friend, holding his hand, holding the truth that is compassion, intimacy, grace. These poems explore shame, and the magic of what waits to be discovered—our true selves—on the other side of its shimmering, transformative fire. I felt such queer kinship with these poems, such gratitude for their charming, delicately wrought steps across the page. ‘People are impossible to fully know,’ writes Chemidlin, ‘Starry sky we try to trap / in a thimble.’ Turn to these poems when you feel the world has lost its mystery. Be reminded there’s still so much—sparkling, winking—just on the other si
Chemidlin, Grant
ISBN: 9781771684361

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Book format
Paperback
Fiction/nonfiction
Fiction
Genre
Literature & Fiction
Publication date
January, 2026
Pages
112
Reading level
Preschool

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In the Middle of a Better World: Poems

What do we risk by living our most authentic lives? More importantly, what do we gain?

In the Middle of a Better Worldis a queer guide to love and identity, a collection both formally inventive and infused with a bright, shimmering imagination. Part elegy, part battle cry, this highly anticipated new collection by Grant Chemidlin is unabashedly joyous in its exploration of desire, human connection, and community—those we’re born into and those we build ourselves. Grant Chemidlin is the author ofWhat We Lost in the Swamp(Central Avenue Poetry, 2023), a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Poetry. His poems can be found inThe Los Angeles Review,Palette Poetry,The Florida Review,Quarterly West, and the Academy of American Poets, among other publications. He lives in Los Angeles with his husband and cat. You can find him on IG @grantcpoetry or at grantchemidlin.com.Cruising

Two men meet in the middle
of a secret,

hide behind
the bushes. The trees,

who see no deviance, offer
their trunks for cover.

Two men meet in the middle
of desire, slip out

of their armor, bask
in the unclad sun,

in each other’s arms,
in each other’s tongues.

In the middle
of a better world:

Two men, undone.
Two men, unbelievably soft

when they touch. Even
the stubble-studded chins

are silken moss.
A twig-crack. A gruff shout

in the distance
& two men

disappear.
All that’s left—two hollowed logs

holding their breath

on the forest floor.
“'Each boy / has no shadow, in the firelight, dancing, / untethered.' How gloriously free, this image. How vital, to be this free. And how dangerous, to find such freedom, to continue living, dancing, this way. Formally inventive, full of sensual detail and psychological insight, this book examines homophobia, in particular internalized homophobia, and all the ways out—out of the closet, out of the fear, into joy and sex and tenderness and community and self-knowledge and love. Grant Chemidlin’s work makes me grateful all over again for poetry and for queer people. —Chen Chen,author ofYour Emergency Contact Has Experienced an Emergency

“In the Middle of a Better World carries us from the fearful, lonely dark of the closet out into the bright, brilliant clarity of the self understood. Grant Chemidlin's better world is enriched by conflict, pain, and resolution, by family and friendship, by earnest sex and ecstatic love. It is an adventure in the quotidian surreal. Here we find the beloved picking up and folding a pool of sunlight from the floor, Jesus flying high overhead in a fighter jet, a twink walking into the Republican National Convention. Here we find a poet discovering himself and sharing his discoveries with unabashed generosity, courage, and joy.” —Jaswinder Bolina,author ofEnglish as a Second Language and Other Poems

“How often does a poem make you smile? Turn up one corner of your mouth in sweet recognition? Grant Chemidlin’sIn the Middle of a Better Worldmade me feel as though I was seated beside a friend, holding his hand, holding the truth that is compassion, intimacy, grace. These poems explore shame, and the magic of what waits to be discovered—our true selves—on the other side of its shimmering, transformative fire. I felt such queer kinship with these poems, such gratitude for their charming, delicately wrought steps across the page. ‘People are impossible to fully know,’ writes Chemidlin, ‘Starry sky we try to trap / in a thimble.’ Turn to these poems when you feel the world has lost its mystery. Be reminded there’s still so much—sparkling, winking—just on the other si
Chemidlin, Grant
ISBN: 9781771684361

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Specifications

Book format

Paperback

Fiction/nonfiction

Fiction

Genre

Literature & Fiction

Publication date

January, 2026

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