I’m thrilled to announce that my first collection I lost summer somewhere has just been published and is available at Amazon and through Kelsay Books.
Here are some of the great things my fellow poets have said about it.
“Melancholy, exuberance, nostalgia, fulfillment, contentment, longing – Sarah Russell hits all the spots, and there isn’t one poem where a woman won’t be able to identify in some way. She’s singing all our songs, putting into magical words things we felt so often but never knew how to tell. Deep sadness matched by laughter, gentleness, love and a sense of adventure. It was a privilege being there with her, living what she remembers, identifying with every line.”
Rose Mary Boehm, author of Tangents, From the Ruhr to Somewhere Near Dresden,and Peru Blues
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“Sarah Russell brings us into her world, a world of “dream-filled summer nights,” where “leaves are October butterflies.” Russell’s poems sing the important moments of life. It’s a song that stays in your mind, drawing you back to the poems again and again.”
Nina Bennett, author of Mix Tape and The House of Yearning
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“Sarah Russell’s poems don’t have to crawl under your skin – they’ve always been there. If you haven’t known a suicide, or gone through divorce or cancer, you’ve known the fear. If you’ve never had a love you’d marry twice if you had three lives, you’ve felt the longing. Russell may have lost summer somewhere, but she has found what makes us human.”
Alarie Tennille, author of Waking on the Moon and Running Counterclockwise
What a lovely little scene. It captures a spirit much larger than itself, evoking all the nostalgia of my first Christmas mornings. Great work, Sarah.
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Thanks a lot, Ryan.
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Odd that Ryan found this to be a lovely little scene. I found it quite chilling in its sadness. Heart-breaking, Sarah.
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Thanks, Kati. Yes, you got the intention…
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Interesting… I guess I read it as more of a “Okay we’ve got this contrived footage for the sake of memory–now let’s get back to unwrapping presents, etc.” type of ending. Perhaps I read too much of my own experience into it. The sadness is certainly there. Anyway…
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No worries, Ryan. Everyone reads their own experience into any poem they read. And your interpretation is as good as any. I went out to photo websites to find a photo for the poem since I have about a thousand slides from childhood to go through, and there sure are a bunch of those “let’s poise quick and get on with the presents” (many very funny) pictures.
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Haha, yes, I know those kinds of photos well.
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I guess that’s life. I would have preferred she finish the reading. Apt slce of life, however. Did you experience any regret?
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Thanks for reading, Nan. No regret from me. I was the child. Different agendas, I guess. I thought she was reading me a story. She thought they were taking a picture…
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oh, that is such an abrupt turn around and a sad ending –
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Thanks, Beth. One of my earliest memories. Weird how those stick, isn’t it.
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It is –
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