My new book, Poems of Protest: A Voice Against the Radical Right Fascist Movement, is now available in paperback and hard cover at Amazon and BarnesandNoble.com.

The Amazon description:

From the author of A Grieving Heart and the Widows Words series comes a poetry collection about coping with life in a world suffering through the destruction and lawlessness of the radical right fascist movement.

Katherine Billings Palmer’s poetry about her life as a widow, mother, and grandmother became more political as she witnessed the rapid downfall of the United States in the aftermath of Trump’s re-election. Poems of Protest: A Voice Against the Radical Right Fascist Movement is a collection of 25 poems that result from the trauma of witnessing our country’s descent into fascism.

This series of poems began in October 2023, when she watched in despair as oligarchs and despots in the Middle East committed atrocities against their enemies. Children suffering from starvation and being crushed under rubble in acts of violence were nothing new to “humanity,” but social media magnified the trauma of these events in a way traditional news outlets never had. Katherine was compelled to compose poetry about these issues to cope with her sense of helplessness and despair.

In November 2024, Donald Trump was re-elected president. After his January 2025 inauguration and appointment of unqualified minions to his administration, the poems began to reflect the state of the country under his lawless rule. They focus on the dismantling of citizens’ rights; ICE raids on immigrants and the violence, death, and destruction in American cities; the racist attacks against “vermin”; and more.

As the administration began to assault the US with day-to-day “shock and awe” meant to keep its citizens in fear, her poetry reflected a need to maintain courage and defend ourselves mentally from the onslaught. Her poems imbue the encouragement of the No Kings protests to Bad Bunny’s inspiring Super Bowl performance, as the nation rises to battle the fascist movement.

Her most recent poems touch on global issues as Trump’s “Department of War” attacks oil-rich countries, murders innocent civilians, and racks up a broadening list of war crimes against nations world-wide.

Focusing on creativity and writing poetry helped Katherine verbalize the feelings of dread many of us feel and serve as a reminder that we all need to maintain a sense of joy at being alive in the midst of chaos. She believes that creativity is the antithesis for fascism. Our artistry and voices cannot be controlled and contained, and we may find hope knowing we are not alone.

Although this is the poetry of one small voice, enough voices can bring about change. Katherine maintains hope that the radical right movement and the current regime can be halted through the power of our voices, the country can be redefined, and made better than it was before. In the meantime, she’ll keep writing and protesting until that time comes.

We must speak out while we still can.

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR LEADER

They’re eating the dogs!
They’re eating the cats!
Let’s round them all up ’cause
They’re vermin! They’re rats!

We need a good scapegoat
Blame them for our ills
Then we’ll line our pockets
Rake in those big bills

The one percent get to
Keep all their tax breaks
Just deem others subhuman
And hope no one wakes

To the con job, the lies
The Fox News propaganda
We’ll dupe half the nation
Just like in Rwanda

Genocide? Camps?
A hellscape for a future?
Can’t happen here
So go back to your stupor

Those woke liberal pansies
Are so contradictory
They definitely put
Too much credence in history

It wasn’t a dog whistle
Or a nazi salute
Go watch some TV
Go buy something cute

It’s the land of the free
There’s no reason to whine
As long as you’re white, male,
And rich, you’ll be fine