Margaret Stearns Dot Com

Coming of age is like syrup. It is sticky, sour, and slow-moving. At times, it feels as though it is nearly impossible to wash away. Margaret Stearns’ debut chapbook

immerses itself in this experience, utilizing sap as a motif, representative of the bittersweet nature of maturation and the journey away from childhood.

Sap Semantics is a chapbook comprised of alliterative, uniquely formatted free-verse poems, illustrating formative growing pains through a lyrical lens. It chronicles the transition from adolescence to adulthood, touching on the powerful themes of familial relationships, first love, gender identity, grief, and independence.