Without naming a specific loss, the poet invites her readers to participate in the shared experience of loss—the destabilization when grief overwhelms us, the struggle to express the inexpressible, the labyrinthine journey we all take as we stumble toward acceptance. Francine Sterle reminds us of the need to challenge our own perceptions and embrace a new approach in order to move forward, and reminds us of the emotional resurrection that can occur after we have joined “death practicing her steps.”

A native of Minnesota, Francine Sterle holds an MFA degree in poetry from Warren Wilson College and has studied writing in a variety of settings, including Oxford University, Spoleto Writers’ Workshop, Bread Loaf Writers’ Conference, Squaw Valley Community of Writers, and the Atlantic Center for the Arts. She has three previous collections: The White Bridge (Poetry Harbor, 1999), Every Bird Is One Bird (Tupelo Press, 2001), and Nude in Winter (Tupelo Press, 2006). She lives in Iron, Minnesota, on the West Two River.

Visit the poet's website: www.francinesterle.com