The Exit May Be Behind You, by Natalie Fisher

Poetry, chapbook, 36 pages, from Bottlecap Features.

In The Exit May Be Behind You, Natalie Fisher reveals the strange intimacy and perpetual absurdity that define her career as a flight attendant. In language that sings and sometimes singes, these poems bear unflinching witness to a life consistently up in the air and a body under constant changes in pressure. Through vibrant glimpses of unruly passengers, sterile hotel rooms, temporary romances, and the toll of constant departure, the collection’s personal and political concerns emerge and intersect.

This collection brings sharply observant humor to the contradictions of a life measured in time zones — one where distance, chronic pain, and gendered expectations collide with the promise of freedom and possibility. With a wry sensibility that stows away poignant, unsentimental vulnerability, Fisher lays bare the demands placed on a woman’s physical and emotional capacity in a “spherical world warped tubular.”

Natalie Fisher is a Seattle-based poet, photographer, performing artist, and flight attendant. Her creative work is shaped by the many cities she visits abroad and the quiet, intimate moments she returns to at home. Natalie earned her B.F.A. in musical theater from Webster University and has performed in professional productions across the United States. When she’s not traveling or writing, she can be found assisting in brand design for Photon Factory, singing show tunes, or tending her garden. This chapbook marks her debut collection of poetry.