Five Poems + Book Recs on Grief
Poems in Bamboo Ridge and Puerto del Sol.
Poems in Bamboo Ridge: Issue 126:
My poems, The Big Island and Shut Down Red Hill, were selected for publication in Bamboo Ridge: Issue 126. Edited by Victoria Nalani Kneubuhl (playwright, author, and recipient of the Hawai`i Award for Literature in 1994), Issue 126 “brings together a compilation of work by 37 writers that captures the complexity of life in Hawaiʻi with humor, resilience, and rich cultural narratives.”
Bamboo Ridge Press is Hawai`i’s longest running independent literary press, and it’s such a huge honor to be included. Support Hawaiian literature and purchase a copy of Issue 126 here.
Poems in Puerto del Sol:
A few months ago, I shared that I was the October Editor’s Pick in Puerto del Sol, the literary journal from New Mexico State University. I have been meaning to share those poems in this newsletter, but an unexpected loss and just needing to be in the day-to-day hustle of living kept pushing my newsletter down on my priority list (the juggle is real) (oh my god I’m sorry). The interview with me was featured here, and the selected poems are below.
Recommendations:
Tragic Victory — Diane Davis (May 2022)
I was very touched by this book. With roots in the North Bay and Philadelphia — two places I have also called home — Diane Davis takes us through the shock and devastation of the sudden losses of her two adult children. The all-too-familiar pain, anxiety, and anticipatory grief of loving someone in the throes of addiction is palpable; day-to-day life is never settled, constantly suspended on a string. And yet our lives must continue marching on our own track, wherever it may lead us, despite the worries and the fears about our struggling loved ones and what may happen to them. There is little we can do to prevent disaster or to become saviors, but through a form of saintliness, Diane and her husband’s spirits prevail as they go on to raise their grandson after her daughter’s death. They provide him with a joyful and loving life seemingly filled with opportunity. As a person whose life has been seriously affected by loved ones’ addictions, I found much to love in Tragic Victory. The timing of reading this was meaningful for me, too; Diane, chillingly, mailed me a review copy days before a family member’s sudden passing in an accident. I picked it up when it called. Thank you, Diane, for sharing this heartbreaking story of grief, love, and faith with us. This book deserves a space in our hearts and on our shelves.
You’re Not Crazy, You’re Grieving: 6 Steps for Surviving Loss — Alan D. Wolfelt (April 2023)
A mirror and a balm for the terrible pendulum of loss. During a time when I had no idea what to do or what I needed, this book was exactly what I needed.