The Wild Lily Institute
Storm Watcher
“I was raised like an asp-entwined fountain
spilling water, cobalt, luxurious
palace of one hundred impervious
rooms . . .”
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W.E. Isaacson, Storm Watcher
About the Book
W.E. Isaacson’s Storm Watcher is a powerful return to form — a luminous and classically wrought collection of 85 new poems, steeped in the tradition of sonnet and song. Her voice, at once prophetic and intimate, draws from ancient sources and modern stirrings, evoking the wind-lashed beauty of coastal landscapes and the intricate symbolism of Pre-Raphaelite art. From Cleopatra’s court to the cloisters of contemporary Catholicism, Isaacson paints vivid scenes with poetic brushstrokes.
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A lover of rhyme and rhythm, she crafts sonnet sequences that echo the musicality of the past while navigating the mysteries of the present. Her work offers readers the comfort of an old library, the spark of the Romantic imagination, and the stillness of a chapel on a rainy afternoon. With a touch of the mystic and the measured grace of a true woman poet, Storm Watcher leaves its mark as both a personal revelation and a work of enduring literary beauty.
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Potter's Press: 261 pages
Available now
Storm Watcher
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From my vantage
in the Old Signal House,
I am a storm watcher.
There is a woman at sea, with a named hulk
reinforced by wales on either side,
three stately masts towering above
with castles,
a carrack
of caustic woad, dyeing alum, and ivory,
called The Camellia:
the cries of lesser black-backed gulls rise
on the coast,
and herring gulls scream,
but she is beaten with salty fury—
thrown in the downpour,
her tea-stained cargo tied down with rope,
lashed with ocean’s spray
at the sodden gale,
her dwarf storm sails like
butterflies’ wings . . .
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W.E. Isaacson
Reviews for Storm Watcher
… Drawing inspiration from the landscapes of Cornwall and the paintings of J.W. Waterhouse, Isaacson writes with a voice that is both intimate and grand, grounding the sacred in the everyday. There’s a constant motion between the personal and the mythical. Her words rise like tides, returning again and again to resilience, devotion, and the endurance of beauty in chaos.
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I’d rate this book 5 out of 5 stars. . . Isaacson’s use of classical structures feels intentional rather than old-fashioned, and her spiritual undertones carry real weight. Readers who love poetry that feels lush, symbolic, and unapologetically emotional will find this collection rewarding.
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—Shey Saints, reviewer
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Storm Watcher reads like standing on a cliff at dawn. Quiet, reverent, and filled with light. Emily Isaacson’s words rise and fall like waves, carrying deep faith and the echoes of classical art. I loved the blend of spirituality and human experience in her verses. It’s a collection that rewards slow reading and reflection.
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—Harmonia, reviewer
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I didn’t expect to be so moved by Storm Watcher. The poems felt like walking through someone’s memories and prayers all at once. I could almost hear the sea and feel the loneliness she writes about. Isaacson’s writing reminded me that poetry can still be emotional without being sentimental.
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—Bulletproof Girl, reviewer
Emily Isaacson’s Storm Watcher combines poetic discipline with emotional vulnerability. Her command of sonnet and requiem forms gives structure to raw personal themes like faith, illness, and endurance. Some sections are dense, but the collection’s sincerity and beauty shine through. It’s an ambitious work that bridges tradition and modern sensibility.
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—Jiminie Mochi, reviewer
×´If, by this candle’s light, your heart is warm,
then this winter’s snow has not frozen you
from the journey to Ithaca, and few
have travelled where rovani is worth more
than the destination, your final home.×´.
- W.E. Isaacson