What a difficult, disorienting, and upsetting time in America (this is an understatment).

Sometimes poetry is the only way to move through and to process difficult emotions and situations. In a devastating time like now in America, poetry, and poets seem to cut to the heart of the moment.

And sometimes, it can heal, inspire, or guide us. That is my deepest hope for my upcoming book, What If It Wasn’t My Fault, with Rootstock Publishing, out on April 10th, 2026. Pre-orders are open now and make a huge difference for small town authors (like me).

This story is about a seventeen-year-old soccer star, Indie Watson, who loves her team and her family. At home, she is the glue—the one who holds her family together. But when Indie wakes up sore and foggy after a party, unsure of exactly what happened, she knows one thing: she didn’t consent.

As her classmates post about her on social media, assigning judgment and blame, she falls into a spiral of self doubt and denial and can’t hold it all together anymore. Instead of facing the truth, she runs away. It is through music, memory, and the kindness of strangers that Indie learns to face what happened, and to redefine who she is now: a survivor who won’t be silenced.

I am so grateful for this review, which names two of my greatest inspirations, Laurie Halse Anderson and Chanel Miller.

“Katy Farber’s What If It Wasn’t My Fault is a blazing act of courage. I read it with my heart in my throat, captivated by 17-year-old Indie and her transformation from a ‘ghost girl’ trying to be ‘everything/ everyone wants’ to a ‘survivor-warrior’ speaking out for justice. Farber has crafted an urgent account of the aftermath of sexual violence in a small town, where sports are worshipped, girls are expected to be ‘perfect little dolls,’ and those who speak the truth about assault are accused of seeking attention. Told in verse both tender and fiercely embodied, the novel weaves a page-turning narrative with moments of lyrical beauty. In the tradition of Laurie Halse Anderson and Chanel Miller, What If It Wasn’t My Fault refuses shame and invisibility and affirms the healing power of sharing your story.

An essential read for survivors and those who love them– and for all teens who need to know they are not alone.”

—Diana Whitney, author of Girl Trouble

And this one, naming two of my favorite books and authors Elizabeth Acevedo and  Jacqueline Woodson.

I love the line “It’s alive with the raw moment of becoming someone else, of standing on the other side of what happens to us.”

“What if it wasn’t my Fault immediately brings to mind poetic narratives like Poet X and Brown Girl Dreaming. It’s alive with the raw moment of becoming someone else, of standing on the other side of what happens to us. Stitched together like a quilt of spoken healing, the story of Indie tugs at the heart, and no doubt will stir the memories of those who lost their young girl selves at the moment a man took what was not his. Indie says, ‘this is not my obligation / what does my body / have to do with gratitude?’ and it is a question that unfortunately echoes through generations. But Indie also has hope, bubbling up through the process of running—first away from, and then toward—ourselves. Indie gives us permission to tell our stories, to heal, and to put down the burden.”

—Kim Ward, author of Fire on a Circle

This story, ultimately, is one of hope, triumph, of refusing to be silent. I hope you will consider pre-ordering this book (Rootstock, Bear Pond, Bridgeside Books, your local bookstore, or (last choice) Amazon) for yourself or a special teenager in your life. Pre-orders are incredibly helpful for authors, showing both an interest in the book and its success. Thank you for considering. 💕