Suzanne’s chapbook is about things just under the surface, barely buried, waiting to be discovered. At first, this book seemed to be about a gorgeously imagined landscape, metaphor, of course, and then it traveled quickly into the guts of a family, of the things kept hidden and broken open like little secrets, the gemmed interior under the hard crust of stone. The language of her linked poems never let us go, alternately sharp and playful in places. “You tumble around inside of me,” says her narrator of a recent loss. This is how we felt upon the rising close of the final poem. | available via our shop
The chapbook measures about 5.25 x 5 inches. Its cover is printed via inkjet on Epson matte photo paper. Each book is handbound & trimmed.
An excerpt from the opening poem, “Winter Burn”:
Spread out the charred remains
and smother them with snow.
But know that a buried fire
is not always dead,
even when cold to the touch.
Fire can burn inward,
sear down through stumps,
travel deep in the ground
along roots, surface
in unexpected places.
You may discover its smell
in your hair, your skin,
the wool jacket you wore,
days later—sometimes years.
About the poet:
Suzanne Rogier Marshall taught English and language arts to middle school students for nearly forty years in Virginia, Washington DC, and Japan. She has retired with her husband to the mountains of New Hampshire, where she draws inspiration for her writing. In addition to poetry, Suzanne has published professional articles and a book on teaching poetry (A Falling Leaf and Other Poetry Activities). Her poems have appeared recently in the Aurorean, contemporary haibun, Freshwater, Off the Coast, The Sow’s Ear, and other journals.
About the cover artist:
Nicci splits her time between exploring, telling tales, and painting girls with inky tattoos. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with a pack of roomies & rescue animals specializing in troublemaking and joy. | @damnredshoes | damnredshoes.wordpress.com
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