Stars Around My Scars The Annotated Poetry of Taylor Swift

By: Elly McCausland

Published by Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2025-01-28

Grab your highlighters and favorite red pen and prepare to join professor of "Swifterature" Dr. Elly McCausland as she dives deep into the tortured poetry of Taylor Swift. Going line by line and word by word through 46 of Swift's most celebrated and hotly debated songs from across her 11-album career, McCausland is here to help you listen, read, and understand Taylor's music in an all-new way!

Stars Around My Scars is a fan-focused opportunity to revel in the poetic songwriting glow of Taylor Swift, a once-in-a-generation luminary.

Each entry presents a song with literary significance, offering a close reading of the lyrics with accompanied marginalia that points out poetic technique, literary references, and creative throughlines. Accompanied by an in-depth analysis of the deeper meaning, craftsmanship, and literary connections present both above and beneath the surface, Dr. McCausland puts listening to Taylor Swift and appreciating poetry hand-in-hand.

Written in an approachable style for Swifties of any era, Stars Around My Scars indulges the act of examining Swift's lyrics for their literary "easter eggs" and connections and legitimizes Swift as this generation's great poet and writer.