Singer-songwriter and poet Amy Speace is set to release her debut poetry collection, The Cardinals, on September 1, 2026. The collection will be published by Red Hen Press. Additionally, Speace will launch a new single titled Days Of Letting Go on September 4, 2026.
Read More
The Cardinals has been described as “a lyrical investigation of marriage, divorce, mothering, and mysticism,” offering poems that resemble intimate conversations while exploring the complexities of love and loss through imagery from the natural world. Describing the collection, Speace covers themes such as connection and separation against a backdrop of rivers, birds, the South and the North, weather, racism, and family history.
The single Days of Letting Go draws inspiration from a poem called Bluegrass Highway, which Speace wrote while working on her MFA thesis. She recounts being inspired by a poignant billboard on Interstate 65 North that read, ‘Opium Kills. Jesus Saves.’ Speace describes conceptualizing the poem through a male narrator returning home after his father’s funeral, reflecting her own experiences following her father’s death in late 2019. Though initially intended as a poem, the piece evolved into a song after a mentor encouraged her to consider its musical potential.
Days of Letting Go was recorded at Skinny Elephant Studio in East Nashville, TN, and features production by Neilson Hubbard, with Speace on vocals along with Doug Lancio (guitars), Lex Price (bass), Hubbard (drums), and Danny Mitchell (keyboards).