433 Lighted Way

by McKenzie Richardson (illustrator), Casey Renee Kiser

McKenzie and Casey Renee are healing gracefully, armed with realization and release in this chapbook w/ artwork. This dark poetry collection dares to explore emotional shock avenues and brutal lessons in relationships leading to spiritual growth. These gals make no apologies about moving out and moving on up to a higher love.

Limited print of only 75 numbered copies. Digital avail on Etsy.

"When you live in dysfunction for too long, normal will always feel crazy when you take those first steps into it. One of the hardest parts of healing is the fact that you’re forced to shed light on the parts of yourself that you would likely rather leave buried – not because it makes you happier, but because that’s the world you know how to navigate. Casey Renee Kiser is an author who has never shied away from the darkest parts of her mind. Facing behaviors, traumas, anxieties, habits that may not be your fault in origin is messy and scary. Healing is hard. Healing is vital. Healing demands an honest self-reflection that Casey has always displayed in her work and that continues in her latest collection, 433 Lighted Way." --India LaPlace, author of {Sad Discoveries}

Genres: Poetry

28 pages, Paperback

Published March 3, 2020

About the author

Based in Wisconsin, McKenzie Richardson is an author, poet, and librarian. A lifelong explorer of imagined worlds on the written page, over the last few years she has been finding homes for her own creations. Her stories and poetry are featured in various anthologies from Iron Faerie Publishing, Black Hare Press, and Eerie River Publishing. In addition, she has published a poetry collaboration with Casey Renee Kiser, 433 Lighted Way, and her middle-grade fantasy novel, Heartstrings, is available on Amazon.

McKenzie loves all things books. When not writing, she can usually be found in her book hoard, reading or just looking at her shelves longingly.

For more on her writing, follow her on:
Facebook
Instagram
Blog

Reviews

[Janie · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the alluring and creative RaVenGhost Press comes a celestial book of poetry that lands briefly on earth to touch our emotions before sweeping us away to inner space. Illustrated with whimsical and intricate artwork, the poetry of McKenzie Richardson and Casey Renee Kiser speaks to the parts of us that love, fear and burn down to ashes. Poignant, tough and as down to earth as it is ethereal, this collection of poems and drawings reminds us of why we go on and what makes us pause to recognize contentment. It entices us to stop and take notice, and I relished every page.

[Rhonda Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved the deep and varied emotions expressed in these poems, many of which connected with my own. The illustations are uniquely filled with veiled meaning. Good read!

[Casey Kiser]

"McKenzie Richardson’s poems are full of magical healing powers, guts and sparkles. She has what it takes to save herself and lead the way." -RaVenGhost Press

[J. Harding · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection of poems by two very talented poets. I will definitely be checking out more work by both of them. It is also worth checking out the reading of some of the poems on Casey Renee Kiser's SoundCloud page. Recommended.

[Never_ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poems that are sure to empower and inspire anyone who reads them with artwork that is fun and otherworldly. I do recommend this.

[McKenzie Richardson]

For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle

Everyone has unique struggles, but we're never in this alone.

This collection of poems serves as a reminder that there is always a light. We can't always see it, don't always want to, but it is there despite that.

Casey and I both poured our hearts and souls into this project and I am so proud of the results. I'm extraordinarily thankful to Casey for pushing me to dig deeper and unleash the words in these pages.

There is pain in this collection, woven in each word, sleeping between each line. But there is also light.

I hope it pleases. I hope it hurts.

Enjoy.

[Andrew Taylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would just like to thank McKenzie Richardson and Casey Renee Kiser
for producing 433 Lighted Way.
I was struck by both ladies courage in facing adversity in their lives
and encouraging their readers too.
The authors remind you that we are all different
and need to be acknowledged as valuable members of society.
Thank you again for the lovely book.
I will look for both authors` works in the future.

Regards,

Andrew Taylor

[Diane Kurtz · Rating 5 out of 5]

433 Lighted Way is a brave, unfiltered chapbook that doesn’t just speak about healing it walks straight through it, barefoot and honest.

McKenzie Richardson and Casey Renee Kiser create a deeply intimate space where emotional shock, grief, self-reckoning, and release are allowed to exist without apology. The poetry is dark, but never hollow; it’s the kind of darkness that comes from finally turning the light inward and refusing to look away. Every piece feels intentional, as though it’s been lived in before being written.

What stood out most to me was how clearly this collection captures the uncomfortable truth of growth: that healing often feels worse before it feels better. There’s no romanticizing dysfunction here, only the hard, necessary work of shedding what once felt familiar in order to reach something healthier and more whole. The artwork weaves seamlessly with the poems, deepening the emotional impact and reinforcing the sense that this is a collaborative act of survival and transformation.

This chapbook will resonate deeply with readers who have lived through emotional upheaval, toxic relationships, or the long process of reclaiming self-worth. 433 Lighted Way isn’t about staying broke it’s about choosing clarity, choosing self-reflection, and choosing a higher love, even when it’s uncomfortable.

A powerful, courageous collection that lingers long after the final page.