Electric Literature is pleased to reveal the cover of Feller by Denton Loving, which will be published by Mercer University Press on August 5, 2025. You can pre-order your copy here.
Using the natural world as both mirror and lens, the poems in Denton Loving’s third full-length collection of poetry explore themes of connection, longing, and the pursuit of a fully-lived life. They celebrate “the light that enters the woods and cleanses the wound.” They seek the sacred order in everything—from the phases of the moon down to the delicate colors of a moth’s wings. And yet, they are not cloistered away from the human struggle—whether with nature, with each other, or with the self. Feller envisions our environment and landscape, not as mere backdrop or ornament, but as revelatory forces illuminating the hidden chambers of the self. At once deeply rooted in his Appalachian soil and universally resonant, Feller confirms Loving’s position among poets who can transmute a sense of place into profound human truth.
Here is the cover, designed by Burt&Burt.
Denton Loving: “When I was pulling this collection together, there were two poems that stood out to me as contenders for the book’s title. ‘Feller’ won out because I was playing with the word’s multiple meanings, and I loved that the word is so colloquial and brings with it a feeling of intimacy. It was through that framework that I could most imagine a reader diving into these poems, hopefully finding and applying layers of meaning as they read.
Most of my ideas for cover designs centered around the title poem which examines the act of felling trees, both creating a wound but also allowing light to enter. Trees and woodland ecology are firmly in my wheelhouse, and there are many trees populating the poems within this collection. Somehow, I was sure trees would be represented on the cover in some way.
When I finally saw Mary-Frances and Jim Burt’s design, it was a huge surprise that they had chosen an image not from the title poem but from that other poem I had considered for the book title, ‘The Octopus School of Poetry,’ a poem that serves as a sort of capstone to the collection, and one that I wrote to speak to the infinite capacity we humans have for love, no matter how many times our hearts are broken.
The image of the octopus next to the title, Feller, is an unexpected pairing. It’s a lot of fun, as someone who is primarily inspired by the Appalachian landscape, to be accompanied on the journey of this book by the multi-faceted octopus. The fact that it occupies only half of the cover creates a sense of emotional imbalance or even absence. All of this tension mirrors the same tensions I was exploring as I was writing these poems.”
Burt&Burt: “I love designing for poetry rich with visual cues. For a designer, it’s a buffet on a platter with so much to choose from. When reading through a poetry collection, I look for a singular idea that may surprise and delight a reader. The hope is for that electric jolt felt when finding the idea patiently waiting for you on the page, and this happened when I read Lovings’ ‘The Octopus School of Poetry.’ Denton Loving’s words inspired this cover. Who can resist a multitasking, problem-solving creature with three beating hearts? ‘Such a nifty trick.’”
