Poetry. "BEFORE I CAME HOME NAKED is a marvelous x-ray of Midwestern oddities and delights with the wonder and vulnerability that comes from examining the family tree—limb from crackly limb. In her debut, Olson expertly sweeps the reader into the depths of heartbreak and humor from the very first poem. These pages burst with rewards: ample evidence of a naturalist's love of the outdoors, a sagacious blend of compassion and mirth, and the best drinking companion you'd ever imagine. This is a poetry that bears brave witness to that place in a 'ruby heart' where the internal and external landscape crash and clatter into the loveliest of songs"—Aimee Nezhukumatathil.