Shame Is An Ocean I Swim Across: Poems by Mary Lambert

Image from www.marylambertsings.com

Bio
Mary Lambert is a queer singer, composer, and poet. Intertwining her bipolar disorder, trauma,
and queerness into her dowk, Lambert creates a sense of vulnerability and connection with her
audience. Her work fights for understanding and equality - including her work singing the hook
to “Same Love’, the marriage equality anthem of 2012 that led to her rise in fame. Lambert
spends her time with her dogs and partner living between Seattle and western Massachusetts.

www.marylambersings.com/about/

Description()
Mary Lambert’s Shame Is an Ocean I Swim Across is a heart wrenching collection of poetry
surrounding topics of mental illness, truma, queerness, and body acceptance. Searching for
strength in dark times, Lambert’s poems shatter her audience and puts them back together
again. Shame Is An Ocean I Swim Acrosstakes a intersectional look at life - in particular the
struggles and triumphs Lambert has faced such as sexual assault, fatphobia and reclaiming her
body, mental illness, and the otherness faced by being queer in a heteronormative society. By
intertwining these themes and struggles, Lambert paints a picture of her multifaceted identity.
Lambert shows her audience that growth and survival are possible even in trauma and struggle,
thus providing a beacon of hope for the future and her audience.