Where does one start to describe the wonderful writing and career of award-winning poet Susan Roney-O’Brien, whose new collection Thira is now available? This new release is a treasure trove for poetry-lovers.
She has published five collections of poetry and innumerable individual poems in literary publications. Her poetry has been translated into Braille and Mandarin. She is very active in the poetry community including a board of directors position for the Worcester County Poetry Association. A former schoolteacher, she continues to share her educational talents through writers groups, workshops and readings.
Thira, as bestselling novelist Helen Fremont describes, “brings to life an ancient Mediterranean civilization….With each poem, the book accrues greater power and suspense, illuminating the ways in which we attempt to cope with forces beyond our control. Roney-O’Brien’s mastery of music and mystery makes one long to immerse oneself in this marvel of a book.”
“Sample her wares” i.e. a selection of her poems at Off the Margins. This site also offers an interview with Susan which shows her prose is as poetic as her verse. Here are a few tidbits from that interview:
“I write from the inside out, from bone and blood and marrow, listen deep and respond first to emotion then, as words come, shape their song using all the craft I can muster….Sometimes I try to reenter a past experience, to step in with open eyes, face it, cut into its truth and recast it, owning it again as a piece of art, a poem exquisite in its honest portrayal of pain or sorrow or joy.”
Read more of her poems at Monadnock Pastoral Poets & Writers.
This interview from Worcester Magazine is from 2018 but still a lovely read.
In September 2020, the Worcester Public Library featured a video interview with Susan which you can view here.
Finally, pick up one of her collections on Amazon today!
