In Dante's Inferno, he easily descends into Hell and explores circles reserved for traitors & betrayers, liars & thieves.
 
Lynne Schmidt's blistering new poetry chapbook wrestles with the terrifying notion that we are currently in Hell, that the things we suffer on a daily basis — Violence Against Women, Body Image, Death and Dying and Grief — are a part of some larger punishment.
 
90 pages.
Originally published in print on January 23, 2024
 
ADVANCED PRAISE FOR THE UNACCOUNTED FOR CIRCLES OF HELL
 
"These are poems that change you and haunt you. There is no way to read this collection without it having a lasting effect. If you've been fortunate enough to not exist in one of these proposed Circles of Hell, these poems will be a necessary awakening. If, on the other hand, you have existed in one, or all of them, these poems will help you feel seen and known. The book itself is not a road map out of our current Hell, but I believe if we read it, it will guide us in collectively creating our own."
- Miriam Kramer, author of Built by Storms 
 
"I have not ever read a collection that made me want to sit with the poet, let them cry if they’re comfortable, and pet their hair and tell them I’m sorry for their hurt.  “The Unaccounted For Circles of Hell” is raw, real, and unbearably beautiful.
Lynne Schmidt has delved deep into the familiar pain of violence, of hatred, of grief, and emerged bruised, but victorious. If you find yourself in this book, let there be comfort in knowing you are not alone in your circle - Lynne has made sure of that."
- Isabella J Mansfield, author of Lemon and The Hollows of Bone
 
"The images, emotions, and situations evoked in this collection unsettled me and Lynne's language adds layers of morality and dignity. I know I will keep coming back to the collection -- not only to find myself but to heal her too."
- Ashley Elizabeth, author of black has every right to be angry