“Shapes of Water” is a collection of autobiographical poems that tell the story of a cystic fibrosis patient as she grows up and comes to terms with having an illness. Katherine Russell uses a powerful lens to examine how having a disease has shaped her, from tales of reckless pursuits to reflections on the meaning of losing friends with the same disease. Each poem tells a story of its own, but together, the works create a detailed map of Russell’s journey. Poet and blogger Martha Deed has called the poems “spare, clean, [and] illuminating” and says the book “deserves lots of strangers finding it.” Are you ready to "find" Shapes of Water? About CF: Maybe you’ve heard of cystic fibrosis, a deadly genetic disorder that mainly affects the lungs and digestive system. 33,000 people in the United States have the illness, while 8 million are carriers of the mutation that causes it. Currently, the life expectancy is 37 years. While advanced treatments have served to raise this number and increase quality of life, there is no cure. But these are just numbers. To truly understand the journey of people with a chronic illness like cystic fibrosis, you have to take a panoramic view of their life. Look at their stories of love, loss, and self-discovery. Let’s be honest: these stories are not devoid of personal weakness, fear, mistakes, and self-doubt. However, in them you will also see evidence of strength, hope, and truth. They reveal more than just the bodily struggles of one person: they show the adversity of the human spirit and the capacity of anyone to overcome life’s tribulations.