Road Down Troublesome

A poetic journey through memory, loss, and the stories that define us, Road Down Troublesome blends an unmistakable Appalachian voice with fierce emotional clarity. Through a series of poems that traverse emotional and physical landscapes, Skeen maps a journey toward insight in the wake of death, loss, and grief. The collection foregrounds the shaping forces of the mother-daughter relationship, ecological fragility, and the sustaining bonds of friendship. Opening with a nod to Lisel Mueller’s invitation to give grief language, the book culminates in “After,” a poem that embodies the stillness and transformation achieved through the act of telling.