In her Poetry Era: Neville featured in Taylor Swift-inspired anthology

by Kylie Rowe, University Communications Student Assistant and Swiftie

"Invisible Strings" features the poem "Auld Lang Syne" by GSCU professor Kerry Neville. (Cover image by Penguin Random House.)

A new anthology of 113 poems inspired by the chairwoman of The Tortured Poets Department, Taylor Swift, is released today and features the work "Auld Lang Syne" by Dr. Kerry Neville, interim co-chair and associate professor of English at Georgia College & State University.

"Invisible Strings," referencing one of Swift's songs from the album "Folklore," is currently available to order as a hardcover, e-book or audiobook.

Kristie Frederick Daugherty, editor of the anthology, assigned each poet a song by Swift to use as inspiration for their poem. Neville was given "New Year's Day" from Swift's fifth studio album "Reputation."

"I want your midnights, but I'll be cleaning up bottles with you on New Year's Day," Swift sings.

According to The Pop Song Professor, "New Year's Day" is about the highs and lows of a relationship or era, and how the people that really want to be there will be.

Neville's poem reveals the kind of disappointment that is felt when a friend or lover does not live up to these expectations, and how it feels reflecting on that past love after growing from it and realizing that you can be fine on your own.

"It's a poem written from the perspective of this more elderly woman, and she's out in the woods with her dog and there is no husband or boyfriend or partner or lover around, no corks from champagne bottles on the floor and she's by herself and for the most part, content," said Neville.

Neville is the Coordinator of MFA and Undergraduate Creative Writing Program at GCSU and already a published author. Her memoir, "Momma May Be Mad," will be published in 2025 and she is currently working on a collection of short essays.

"I wouldn't necessarily identify myself as a poet, but I have poetic leanings," Neville said.

When given the chance to join the other high-profile poets featured in "Invisible Strings," Neville felt honored to be asked, as she is also a huge Taylor Swift fan.

For each poem in "Invisible Strings," the poets were not allowed to use the title or lyrics from their assigned song, but instead were encouraged to follow Swift's love of puzzles and clues to write a poem that reflects the song.

The goal of the anthology, according to publisher Penguin Random House, is for Swifties to decode the poems to find out which song correlates with each piece.

GCSU professor Dr. Kerry Neville. (Photo by Anna Gay Leavitt.)

There are 113 contemporary poets featured in this anthology, including Pulitzer Prize winners Yusef Komunyakaa and Carl Phillips, and former U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo; Neville and several others will participate in a live reading on the release date, Tuesday, Dec. 3, at 7 p.m. where several of the anthology poems will be featured.

"You know my secret hope is that Taylor Swift will read this anthology and say, 'Oh your poem is the one that got me!' and she'll just send me free concert tickets for life and endow the Taylor Swift Chair in Tortured Poet Studies for the English Department," Neville joked.

Until then, Neville encourages fellow Swifties and poetry lovers to order a copy of "Invisible Strings" and register for the live Zoom reading tonight.

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