Love in the Time of Plague

ISAACSON

New edition book release dubbed LITTOP

Isaacson's 2025 book

. . .

Where is the sacrament that with you keeps

you from death's harm, and with your greenest grass:

a pastureland of Liseron des Champs,

the pleasant place where White Asphodel steeps.

I wish you had waited for your shepherd,

I, standing in the ruins of the lost,

did not see you go, nor will you to leave.

"The Lost Church", LITTOP

In a time of shadow and silence, when the world withdrew behind masks and distance, a singular voice rose—lyrical, true, and unafraid. Love in the Time of Plague is a poetic chronicle of human beauty amid the hush of a global pandemic. With remarkable depth and clarity, Emily Isaacson threads together simple elements of the sacred, memory, nature, and faith into a luminous tapestry of resilience. This second edition offers expounded reflection and fresh clarity, attuned to the quiet revelations in stillness and grief with its accompanying commentary volume.

From whispered sonnets to soaring requiems, Isaacson’s work echoes with prophetic undertones and pastoral grace. Her poems are lit candles in a darkened gallery, leading readers through the landscapes of solitude, lost connection, and the fragile bloom of hope. This collection is not just a document of a historical moment—it is a testament to the enduring light of love, and the soul’s capacity to sing during suffering.

"Love in the Time of Plague by Emily Isaacson is a thoughtful and expansive poetry collection that blends history, faith, personal reflection, and emotion. The book opens with a narrative-style piece about Carnelian, the apothecary’s daughter, setting the tone for a journey that spans centuries, cultures, and inner worlds. The poems cover everything from quiet moments of beauty to the weight of grief and loss, often drawing on religious and classical imagery. The collection isn’t built around a single storyline but offers a wide range of voices and scenes that loosely tie together through recurring themes like healing, memory, and resilience. Overall, I’m giving it 5 out of 5 stars."

—Shey Saints

Editor and Reviewer

Love in the Time of Plague is dense, layered, and honestly kind of massive. But if you like poetry that feels like wandering through a library and a church at the same time, you’re in for a treat.

—Jiminie Mochi, reviewer

You drift through eras, images, and moods like walking through a cathedral filled with stained glass and whispers of memory. Some parts read like historical fantasy and others feel like personal prayer. . . The way the poems echo each other, especially the ones about Notre Dame and the recurring garden motifs, kept me emotionally anchored.

—Bulletproof Girl, reviewer

What I appreciated most is that Isaacson doesn’t just write characters; she composes them like music - layered, expressive, and ancient in soul. The subtle power dynamics, philosophical undertones, and historical atmosphere around Carnelian make her more than a figure. She’s mythic.

—Harmonia, reviewer

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Commentary titled Benediction of the Singer now available on online bookstores.