Author Spotlight: Lizzy Brendel about The Human Condition Exhibition

The Human Condition Exhibition is a poetry collection by Lizzy Brendel that explores what it means to live inside a body, a memory, and a moment that refuses to fade. Published in December 2025, the book gathers more than a decade of lived experience and translates it into verse that is raw, deliberate, and deeply human. These poems move through themes of sexual assault, medicine, womanhood, social justice, love, and heartbreak without spectacle or performance — only honesty.

Brendel’s writing feels like reading someone’s private journal, yet it never closes itself off to the reader. Her voice is intimate and purposeful, offering vulnerability without fracture and rage without losing tenderness. Each poem holds space for both pain and softness, allowing silence, ache, and desire to coexist on the page.

Quick Look

Author: Lizzy Brendel
Title: The Human Condition Exhibition
Genre: Poetry
Print Length: 110 pages
Publication Date: December 20, 2025
Social media: Instagram | Threads | TikTok
Buy book: Amazon

In this interview with Lizzy we take a closer look at The Human Condition Exhibition: what it is, what it confronts, and why its unflinching emotional clarity makes it a collection worth sitting with.

Q&A with Lizzy Brendel

Q: What is your book about and what inspired you to write this book?

A: My book is about my life for the past decade, and it is my hope that it is universally resonant with my audience. It has been a lifelong dream of mine to publish a book, but the way in which it came to be was sudden. I decided to actually sit down with a catalogue of my entire work, narrow it down to my favorites, and work on editing it into a collection. Each poem is meant to be its very own story. I have collected some heavy themes in this work. There are musings of medicine, grief, love, trauma, and rage in this work. I called this “The Human Condition Exhibition” because that’s what it is to me. It is chaotic and brave, never shying away from the tumultuous or devastating. I suppose, to answer your question, that this work is all three of those things. It is my personal experience. Collecting and refining the work was a sudden idea. Being published at all has been a lifelong dream. I’ve been told that my work reads like secrets between friends. As long as I can viscerally immerse my audience in a feeling or memory, then I know that I will have done what I’ve set out to do. I am a new author, so being able to call myself one is still a bit jarring. I am overwhelmed that my work has gone from my haphazard collection to the written page. I don’t think that that feeling will ever quite leave me.

Q: When did you start writing, and what made you decide to publish this book?

A: I have been writing since I was about ten years old. I always read at a level that was well above my classmates and was fascinated with the power of the written word. It’s inspiring to be able to move someone. It’s inspiring to be able to articulate an idea or thought in your very own subjective way.
I found my true love when I was about fourteen. Poetry.

I discovered that there was an entire genre of writing that bent the rules of literature. It was allowed to breathe entirely on its own. It could be refined or free-verse. It could be concise or heavily descriptive. It didn’t matter what it was. It was freedom. It still is, for me. I participated in a poetry slam in middle school and I’ve been a goner ever since.

I often have an idea for one stanza and then build around it. It strikes me unpredictably. I have pulled over to the side of the road before to jot a stanza down. I have woken up from a dead sleep to write down an idea. It’s reflexive for me. It is my belief that, where there is inspiration, there will also be a poem. Fortunately, life is full of some such inspiration.

Recently (in the last year or so) I started a poetry account on Instagram. I would post my work anonymously because the intimacy of poetry used to be something that I was afraid of. Then, well, I started getting great feedback. I met other poets and writers in the community who inspired me and gave me valuable feedback on my work. So many people have told me that I was an inspiration to them.
This is something that still humbles me.
I feel, now, that I have a duty to write.
This is where my writing habit went from prolific to obsessive.
Writing is, like most things, a muscle. It strengthens with use and activity. The more I wrote, the more I seemed to get better at it. I found my cadence and rhythm and stuck with it faithfully. It is my intention to have pieces that flow in rhyme and pace. I will never waver from this writing style. However, this can also prove to be a bit challenging.
I hold myself to a high standard. I always have, with everything that I do. When I look at my work from just a year ago, it is instantly evident to me that I have made leaps and bounds in honing my style.
I learned to be proud of my work.
I decided that I wasn’t going to be anonymous anymore.
I put my name behind my work and encouraged everyone I knew to read it. I wasn’t afraid of the vulnerability anymore. I wasn’t afraid of what others may think.
I decided that I was proud of my work and wanted to share it with the world.
Then I started submitting to magazines and competitions. I, again, got great feedback and publications. If you know anything about publishing poetry, then you know that most magazines/publishers want previously unpublished work. I grew a possessiveness for my work. If it was going to be published, then I wanted it to be in a collection. I wanted it to be on my terms. I started sifting through my entire life’s work for my favorite pieces and put them into a single document. I sent it to a publisher and, well, they really liked it. So, “The Human Condition Exhibition” was born. Somehow, I am a published author. It is my hope that my work is resonant. I do love it so very much.

Q: Which character was the most fun—or most challenging—to write, and why?

A: Well, considering that my work is diaristic, I would have to say that this would be myself. However, I do write about some traumatic things. I have several works that detail sexual assault. I suppose, in a way, it has been fun to write these. It is satisfying to know that, should someone who has hurt me in this way read my book, then they will know that their deeds are immortalized on the written page.

However, my favorite character will always be myself. I want to put my audience inside my head, so to speak. I want them to know what I was feeling and thinking. I want them to have my perspective.
The challenge is articulating this. The challenge is articulating this in my style of writing. It can be difficult to dissect such themes in a way that is resonant to my audience.

Obviously, this is my trauma at hand. It’s difficult to acknowledge it, sit with it, write it, and then trust that my audience can empathize with it. I still struggle sometimes with putting faith in my prowess as a writer. It is difficult to balance, but I do find it quite cathartic. Poetry has been a healing balm and a source of solace for me. When all else fails, I will still continue to write.

Q: What themes or messages do you hope readers take away from your book?

A: I hope that my readers are inspired. Not necessarily from my work, but the vulnerability of it. It is my hope that my work instills a feeling of bravery in my audience.
I do write poems about living in a world that feels like it doesn’t want you.
I also write about what it feels like to stay anyway.
I hope that I can inspire an appreciation of the moment and a romance of the unspoken. When nothing else is there for you, poetry always will be.
Art, by nature, is expressive. Today’s society can be so apathetic and unforgiving and unjust. It’s easy to lose our voices in the toil of everyday life.
I want to convince someone, anyone, that their voice is worth everything. Writing is the staple of generations. Of history. Written communication is such a tremendous boon. It is a power that any given person can harness at any time.
If my readers did not know that before, it is my hope that my work shows them that.

Q: Were there any real-life experiences that influenced your story or characters?

A: Oh yes. Definitely. Every poem is a story from my life. It is my soul completely undressed. It is a series of glimpses into my human experience. As such, it is incredibly diaristic.

Q: What question do you wish readers would ask you about the book?

A: I want someone to inquire about the next book.
I want to suck someone into my world so aptly that they are left craving more. I want to enthrall them. I want them to look into my soul, and my stories, and leave them better than they found them.
I suppose that it the plight of any writer.
For something as intimate as poetry, it feels vital.
It is everything that I am put into words and phrase and rhymes. I would hope that it is interesting enough to follow along on my writing journey.
My favorite thing is when people show me their own work. When this happens, it is often in response to the inspiration that they felt from reading my work. That is the highest form of praise for me.
So, it would seem, I would prefer to inspire a hunger for the written word in my readers. However, I would love for them to be inspired more.

Q: Do you have a favorite quote or moment from the book you’d like to share?

A: Yes! The tenth poem in my book. It is titled “Cosmic” and it is actually my vows that I told my husband on the day of our wedding. We eloped to Breckenridge, Colorado and we got married on the shore of Brainard Lake. I spent hours writing that poem. I toiled with it for months.
I wanted it to be perfect.
I wanted my husband to feel, viscerally, how much I love him. I wanted him to know that he will always be adored by me. I wanted him to know that he has a true partner for life.

My favorite quote from the piece would be as follows:

“You had asked me,
‘Will you be mine forever?’
Sealed with a diamond,
And Neptune-blue sapphire.

Even Saturn blushed at the ring,
And so did I,
But that’s the thing.

For galaxies can die,
Suns can follow suit,
The one cosmic constant,
Is my love for you.”

I will never forget the moment that I shared this with him. It was a beautiful evening. The water was calm. The sun was spilling over the mountainous Colorado landscape. It was a lovely way to start forever with him. It will probably always be my favorite piece.

Q: What was the biggest challenge in writing or publishing it?

A: Oh, gosh. The hardest part is writing it. The most difficult part of the journey, for me, was choosing what to include in the work. I had over a decade of writing to sift through. I had to choose my, subjectively judged, best pieces. Then, I had to put them all in a collection. Then, I had to refine them. Then, I had to format the whole thing. Then, still, you have to send the work to publishers and hope that it sticks.

Honestly, that’s the easy part. It’s the mental legwork beforehand that is the most difficult. Getting the rough draft together was the most strenuous part of the entire process. I would recommend anyone to give themselves plenty of time in that initial headspace and process. Take your time. If you are going to make your voice heard, then you better be damn sure about what you’re going to say. The end result just might be the most beautiful thing that you’ve ever created.

Q: What’s next for you as a writer?

A: I love this question! Okay, let me tell you! I write pretty consistently on my Instagram page (@liz.the.poetess). I would encourage anyone who is a fan of my work to keep in touch with me there. It feels like I’m at the beginning of my writing journey, in a way. I have to build up my catalogue again before I have ample supply to organize a second book.

I am delighted to share with you that I will be attending this year’s Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference and Bookfair this year. The event will be taking place in Baltimore, Maryland.
I was feeling ambitious when I had applied for my publisher and myself to have an exhibit at the event. Amazingly, we were rewarded with an acceptance.

I have come to the realization that my book was, admittedly, a bit of a vanity project. Writing, until very recently, has been a hobby for me. Publishing my book is included in that. It was something that I had always wanted to do.

Now, I’m ready to take it to the next step. I am ready to embrace my author status and really work on sharing my work with the world. That being said, I felt that my book was not up to par. After a couple of months of reflection, I had an idea to completely restructure my book. It took me hours and hours and hours to do so.

I have added six poems, replaced others entirely, and added new stanzas to existing poems in the work.
I will be debuting this new version at the conference in March. After that, it will be available to purchase on Amazon. Now, and until March 4th, you can still acquire the original version of the book.I have also applied for some author exhibit spots in my area. Should you want to, you can keep in touch with me on Instagram to see my journey.

Author Bio

Lizzy Brendel is a new author whose debut poetry collection details her life experience for the past decade. While pursuing a career in nursing, she often daydreamed of depicting her experiences in the written word. This fueled a full-blown poetry passion; giving life to the tumultuous, traumatic, and whimsical. So much so, in fact, that she pursued a minor in Creative Writing alongside her nursing degree at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

Her writing prowess, however, started much earlier. In her teenage years, she took two creative writing courses with Duke at Appalachian State University over two summers. She writes poems from her home in St. Louis, Missouri. She lives with her husband and their two cats and dog. You can find her hiking, embroidering, and reading in her free time. You can find her latest work on her Instagram, where she enjoys sharing her writing and engaging with other writers.

Social media: Instagram | Threads | TikTok
Buy book: Amazon