Of a Mother: On Sale Now

My first poetry chapbook, Of a Mother, is now available for purchase from Finishing Line Press!

ORDER HERE

About my book: “Of a Mother enters the strange time-space continuum of grief that is terminal illness, exploring a mother’s death from cancer and a daughter’s ways of coping. In this linear set of poems, everyday objects like pincushions, dressing gowns, and perfumes become relics; sponge baths, cool drinks, and hand lotion become sacred offerings; the living mother and the cremation urn are superimposed, leaving the bereaved at a crossroads: how to live without a parent.”

September 29 is the official release date, but you can pre-order a copy from now through August 4th for $15.99 USD + $3.49 shipping per copy; after that, it’s $17.99 plus shipping. And buying a copy during this advance sale period helps my press run!

Thanks to all of you who have supported my writing over the years. Special thanks to Faith Adiele, Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg, and AJ Odasso for writing blurbs for my book, and to Adam Grossi for allowing me to use his work, “Push Pull,” as the cover image.

Upcoming Reading: May 13, 2023

This Saturday, May 13, I’ll be reading at the 2023 Greater Pittsburgh Festival of Books at the Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in East Liberty! I’ll be in the Poetry Tent from 2:15-2:30 p.m. (free!). Full event details at pittsburghbookfestival.org.

“Nexus,” Couplet Two

The second couplet of “Nexus” is up on the North Main Street Bridge in Greensburg, PA. Photos are all by the Westmoreland Museum of American Art.

“we people of great hills and strong calves and lightning strikes and broken chains,”
“our etched portraits and flower baskets, our quaking greens and numbered schedules,”

My bridge poem is up!

“Nexus” installation view.
“What this bridge must carry: concrete, rebar, its own careful weight,”
“light enough to rise, strong enough to bear our bodies across,”

The first couplet in my 12-couplet poem, “Nexus,” has been installed on the North Main Street Bridge in Greensburg, PA. Each month, a new couplet will go up on the bridge. It’s a privilege and a thrill to have my writing in a public art piece.

Check out this profile interview with me where I dive into my creative process for this poem.

Photos above are by the WMAA.