ABOUT THE BOOK

I Would Love for You is a book of poetry written by Hanna Wilt, a young poet who passed away at the age of 27 after battling a rare form of cancer for years. Published one year after her death, this collection of poetry gives readers a record of Hanna’s journey through her terminal cancer diagnosis, sharing the raw emotions, thoughts, and feelings Hanna experienced in the final years of her life. She brings readers into the realities of being a 20-something college student, and later young adult, with cancer: processing her diagnosis, clinging to hope that she might heal, searching for a purpose amidst her battle, fighting to maintain her faith, sorting through experiences of love and loss, and finally, accepting her death. 

In these pages, you’ll read Hanna’s unamended words as she wrestled with questions about life, death, family, loss, and the meaning of her faith despite it all. Although her poetry is published posthumously—edited and woven together by her sister, Kate Kiesel—one of Hanna’s final hopes was to share her words to reach and comfort others in a similar season of grief, loss, and acceptance. Hanna and Kate both hope this collection of poetry can be a source of comfort and understanding to anyone facing or experiencing loss and grief.

Included at the end of this book is a creative writing exercise designed by Kate to encourage readers to engage in the healing-art benefits of poetry themselves, something both Kate and Hanna deeply believe in the power of.

photo © Jackie Molloy

Kate and Hanna