Media Kit

The Small Particulars by Joellen Sweeney

Published by Verdant Publishing

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Book Overview

Title: The Small Particulars
Author: Joellen Sweeney
Genre: Poetry
Format: Paperback, 57 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9993864-1-0
Publisher: Verdant Publishing
Publication Date: December 16, 2025
Library of Congress Number: 2025946325

In her debut poetry collection, The Small Particulars, Joellen Sweeney invites readers to pause, lean closer, and rediscover the overlooked wonders that shape a life. With language both tender and unflinching, these poems traverse memory, love, fear, grief, and resilience, reminding us that even the smallest moments hold infinite universes.

From childhood encounters with fairy letters to meditations on wildfire, anxiety, and the multiverse of human connection, Sweeney writes with clarity that is both intimate and expansive. Each poem becomes a loop of string laid gently around the a small, singular moment, illuminating how the details we nearly miss can transform into landscapes of meaning.

Grounded in the natural world yet alive to the complexities of contemporary life, The Small Particulars resonates with anyone who has ever found solace in the forest, traced the arc of a falling star, or searched for beauty in the midst of uncertainty.

Short Description

In her debut poetry collection, The Small Particulars, Joellen Sweeney offers an intimate exploration of love, memory, grief, and resilience through the lens of everyday wonders. With language that is both lyrical and grounding, she draws readers into moments that often go unnoticed, the moss between stones, the arc of a meteor, the ache of fear, the tenderness of friendship.

About the Author

Joellen Sweeney is a theatre artist, writer and teacher from Portland, Oregon. Her creative research focuses on environment; whether through whimsical, heartfelt writings, immersive and site-specific performance, or lush multi-layered vocal music, Joellen loves to create and support experiences that build connectedness between people and the natural world.

Recent theatre credits include work with Artists Repertory Theatre, Seattle Shakespeare Company, Shaking the Tree Theatre, Portland Experimental Theatre Ensemble, Northwest Children's Theatre and Renegade Opera, with whom she is a Creative Company Member. She is also a co-founder of Bedrock Theatre, a performance collective that combines storytelling, live music and hiking in parks and wilderness areas, and an Community and Creativity Steward at The Verdancy Project.

Taking after her grandfather, Ben Sweeney, (who wrote a poem everyday for many years) Joellen writes essays and poetry when she’s supposed to be doing other work. Her first poetry collection, The Small Particulars, will be published by Verdant Publishing in Fall of 2025.

Joellen earned her Masters of Fine Arts in Acting from the University of Washington’s Professional Actor Training Program. She is also a proud alumna of Willamette University, the Third Rail Repertory Theatre Mentorship Program and the Shakespeare & Company Month-Long Intensive. When she is not at the theatre, Joellen enjoys singing, studying ocean science and hiking with her husband, Alec.

Key Themes & Topics

  • Nature and environment

  • Love, memory, and loss

  • Mindfulness and presence

  • Connection between humans and the natural world

  • Wonder in the everyday

  • The creative and emotional landscapes of being

Media Assets

High-resolution images available for download:

Events & Appearances

  • Book Launch Event: December 21st, 2pm - 4pm, The Verdancy Project, 30310 SE Division DR. Troutdale, OR 97060

  • Readings & Signings: To be announced

Links

Press Contact

Verdant Publishing
Attn: Shannon Amidon
info@verdancyproject.com
www.verdancyproject.com/verdant-publishing