Kyle Doty's debut collection of poetry, Hush, Don't Tell Nobody, explored tragedy and absolving the sins of those who cause pain. Winter Lightning focuses attention on three separate themes. In Indianaland the poet takes a nostalgic look at his childhood home in rural Indiana to rediscover his roots and to once again experience the dramatic landscape of the small agricultural community where he grew up. Winter Lightning contemplates tragedy and hope, but also shifts the focus to the abstract: thought, the ethereal place of idea, and ancestry-he plays with the question of where humans come from and reflects on the interconnectivity of humanity. Birth narrates the poet's personal experience of having twins with his wife, Sharayah. From the early discussions of whether or not to have another child to the poet's own musings on birth and women and the wisdom of dogs, Birth rounds out the collection with an air of lambency and expectation.