Paired with bright and warm illustrations, this book is a beautiful cycle of meditative poems for children of all ages.
From the first page: If you're looking for kindness, this book is for you. Take all the time you need to read through these poems at your own pace. And wherever you live, may your know that the sky, land, quietness, and simple pleasures can give you strength. They are here for everyone.
Purchase your own copy, or buy it for a gift here.
Table of Contents:
Hello
Morning
Song
Breeze
Wind
Sky
Together
Milk
Life
Joy
Death
Bread
Alone
Land
Still
Trees
Silence
Evening
Goodbye
AND SAY debuted in October 2019 with Revival Press, a branch of the incredible Limerick Writers Centre.
From local poet Michael Durack’s introduction for the launch:
“The setting [of the poems] for the most part is the mid-west of Ireland, a pastoral landscape, a timeless natural landscape of varying moods with the elements in a state of flux, in constant interaction with each other and with the poet’s inner landscape.
It’s a fascinating world—dark forests, stormy seas, surface and underground water, and shifting colours, light, and shade. The range of flora is matched by the variety of fauna: in here you will find swallows, gulls, herons, a fox, dragonflies, fish jumping.
The overall impression is of a brilliant kaleidoscope where nature is dynamic and sometimes menacing, but ultimately soothing and reassuring, a balm for the negative emotions of anger and anxiety.”
(And can I just say how thankful I am for such lovely words?)
THE RIVER BOY. Finch and Fellow, 2016. A novel of friendship and courage set in 1909 Montana for middle-grade readers (age 8-12).
Wonderful news! Here is a review by Patricia Tilton on her blog, Children's Books Heal. This blog is a wonderful, life-giving resource for children's books.
And here is a review from Bookworm for Kids, a fantastic blog with great recommendations for young readers.
And, here are some kind words from readers (Amazon reviews):
"What a great story and imagination! This story takes you back to Montana in 1909. My grandfather was 5 years old then, so I would imagine him running through the countryside with Clara and Josiah. It's refreshing to read stories about true friendships and helping others."
"My 8-year-old and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this together! It is so well written, with characters that are relatable and memorable. Life lessons are woven throughout in a natural way that inspired conversations with my son on a variety of topics. This book reminds me of so many of my favorite books from my own childhood."
"This story explores how to exult in overcoming problems and obstacles. The shining through of joy by two young people is an example to all of us the powerful force of teamwork, faith and perseverance."
Artistic director and pianist Yonit Kosovske commissioned world-renowned composer Ailís Ní Ríain to turn poems from my collection And Say to be turned into a song cycle, performed by Yonit and contralto Julie Comparini. (Cover art by Simon Brown)
This has been such a special collaboration!
For more info and to purchase the music, here is our bandcamp link.
Here is a LyricFM Culture File interview with me and the composer Ailís.
And here is a podcast from the Contemporary Music Centre in Ireland featuring Yonit and Ailís.
"Let's Interrelate: Becoming the Holobionts We Are" at Culturico September 11, 2024
Co-Author, Narrative-Based Medicine Interventions in Arts & Health : An International Journal for Research, Policy and Practice
“Eyes for Avonlea: How Maud Teaches Me to See the Natural World” - a peer-reviewed creative essay for the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies - with some of my Polaroids!
“The Wound of Beauty Operates in Otherwise Ways” - a creative essay on how LM Montgomery helps me with the shadowy affects for the Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies
“Eyes for Avonlea: Montgomery’s Affective Vision of Nature” - video presentation for LM Montgomery and Vision Forum (2020), Journal of L.M. Montgomery Studies
“The Fold: Creative Writing in a Time of Pandemic” at Culturico Nov 30, 2020
“Invisible Things” in Relief 8.2. A short story playing with the power of thoughts and atoms.
“He Gently Leads Those with Young: Life-Giving Principles from the Rule of St. Benedict for Early Parenthood” in Journal for Spiritual Formation and Soul Care9.1. Parenting is difficult. Here are some ideas from the beautiful, ancient Benedictine Rule.
“Travelers” in Dappled Things: A Quarterly of Ideas, Art, and Faith 10:1. A poetic essay about traveling with God into the wild lands of the heart.
“‘My own heart let me have more pity on’: Learning Gracious Self-Talk through a Sonnet by Gerard Manley Hopkins” in Journal for Spiritual Formation and Soul Care 5.2. We can be so hard on ourselves, especially during difficult spiritual seasons. Hopkins' poem teaches and helps us.
“‘So much novelty and beauty!’: Persuasion and the Spacious Aesthetic of Restraint” in Jane Austen and the Arts: Elegance, Propriety, and Harmony edited by Natasha Duquette and Elisabeth Lenckos (Lehigh UP, 2013). An academic essay on the moral aesthetics of Anne Elliot: she shows us how elegant a person's kindness - with a little restraint and wisdom - can be.
Essays Featured on Art House America:
Restraint, Exuberance: Small Stories on the Moral Aesthetics of Jane Austen
Hearth and Threshold: Thoughts on a Theology of Home
Prayers for the Animals Inside of Us
Essays Featured on Faith and Leadership from Duke University:
Does Beauty Matter for Moral Stances?
The Holy Practice of Looking at Things
Celtic Christianity and the Gift of Thresholds
Monthly dispatches for Relief journal’s blog:
George Moses Horton: A Poet in Pursuit of Freedom
Grandma Moses for the New Year
Entering Openness: The Collect for Purity
Heavy Gleam of Domesticity: The Seven Sacraments by Abigail O’Brien
The Generosity of a Grid: On Agnes Martin
Honeycomb and Cream: Neil Gaiman's The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Little Drummer Boy and Me: Johnny Cash and Craftsmanship
Essays Featured on Good Letters, Image journal’s blog:
Lady Mary, Downton Abbey, and the Conflicted Will
Not Going Gentle: Another Look at There Will Be Blood
Editor, Transformation Through the Different Other: A Rendezvous of Giving and Receiving by Faustin Ntamushobora. Wipf and Stock, 2013.
This is a powerful and thoughtful book about forgiveness and the Rwandan Genocide. I am so glad that I had the immense privilege of editing Faustin's book!
If you're interesting in getting help developing your manuscript, please contact me! I can help you at any stage of the writing process.
