"This expansive and ecstatic debut, by a nonspeaking autistic poet who calls on 'prayer to let all of / language answer me, ' inaugurates the publisher's 'Multiverse' series of books by neurodivergent authors."-New York Times Book Review

"Fierce and energetic . . . [The Kissing of Kissing] makes a remarkable statement, both visually and verbally."--Shelf Awareness

"[The Kissing of Kissing] is beautiful to behold and even more refreshing to see pleasure so central to neurodiversity because of how often mainstream literature erases this fact."--Shondaland

"A testament to the idea that poetry is truly the root of human connection via language is The Kissing of Kissing, a groundbreaking collection from neurodivergent poet Hannah Emerson. The raw beauty of each individual poem -- and the entire book -- is stunning and absolutely confident in its structural integrity."--Washington Independent Review of Books

"The first entry in Milkweed's Multiverse series of books focused on neurodivergent and disabled writers, Hannah Emerson's debut is utterly beguiling, her poetry an indescribable combination of interior monologue and public address. 'Please try/ to become the breath that gives/ helpful thoughts that are floating / towards you yes yes, ' she writes with characteristic longing and confidence. Reading this beautiful book, I felt as though Emerson's words had always been in my head."--Craig Morgan Teicher, NPR, "Books We Love"

"Emerson, a non-speaking, autistic writer, communicates a sublime personal cosmology in poems vibrating with an energy that derives, in part, from surprising repetitions, especially of the words kissing and yes . . . Unforgettable."--Poetry Foundation's "Harriet Books" blog

"The Kissing of Kissing is the most original collection of poetry I've read in years . . . [Emerson's] ability to transmit the full-body experience of joy is rivaled only by Whitman. Please, please read this book. Your mind and your poetry and your life will be better for it."--Arkansas International

"Inventive . . . Images repeat on a scale that shifts from the immediate, worldly, and intimate to the cosmic. 'Please try// to imagine how big you are yes yes, ' Emerson suggests, challenging the reader to expand their perception and vision through this unusual and intriguing approach to form."--Publishers Weekly

"I have never read a book like The Kissing of Kissing . . . Hannah Emerson has exploded cultural assumptions about how we should write, how we should communicate, and what it means to be alive . . . Emerson [draws] the reader out of their trance and into the real world, which to her is grander, vaster, and freer than we all might realize."--Luna Luna Magazine

"This book feels personal and inviting at the same time-it's very much Emerson's story and perspective on display, and yet her work regards the reader not as a distant observer but as a partner in experiencing this big weird world we find ourselves in. The Kissing of Kissing makes the complicated feel comfortable and vice-versa, and that makes it a book worth settling down with and reading again and again."--Anomaly