PREFACE: Laura Roesch
PHOTOGRAPHY BY ALEIGHSA WRIGHT
Special thanks to Amavida Coffee in Historic St. Andrews for the use of their beautiful cafe for our photography.
[dropcap] A[/dropcap] new year can offer plenty of “Rs”: reflect, renew, refresh, reconsider, revisit, recharge. In pondering the year gone by, I noticed a gap in my favorite “R” activity—reading. Reading poetry, to be precise. I have had little interest in reading poetry over the years, and much less reason to—at least not voluntarily.
Of all things to come out of the brutal impact of the monster storm that was Hurricane Michael, in its aftermath, as our community struggled along its path of recovery, I lucked upon “Survivors, An Anthology of Work Created in the Wake of Hurricane Michael”. Edited by Tony Simmons, it is a collection of poems, essays, and short stories written by survivors of Hurricane Michael. The experience of reading it was gut-wrenching, heart-breaking, painful, intimate, tears streaming, voyeuristic, depressing, uplifting, spiritual, complex, profound. To the writers of this book, well done!
To truly appreciate this work, I had to slow down, to savor and luxuriate in the words and soak up the message. That is not how I usually consume books. I’m always in a hurry, as there are so many great books waiting. But poetry! An entirely different mindfulness is required, at least for me. We are all survivors in some form or fashion, so perhaps that is why I found the book’s effect so raw and emotional. And it sparked an interest in poetry. I immediately queried my well-read friends for suggestions. And, thanks to the fine recommendations of a dear young friend with an old soul, the gap in my reading life is well on its way to being filled with the poetry of Mary Oliver, Danna Faulds, and Rainer Maria Rilke. This year’s reading goal is twofold: slowing down to savor the bliss that is reading and to mindfully read more poetry. A lot more!
How about you? Have you discovered a new reading genre? If so, what and why? I hope you’ll share your thoughts. And thanks to those of you who have written. It is always a pleasure to hear from you.
-Laura
Submit your book review for consideration to: Laura@panamacityliving.com
“Survivors, An Anthology of Work Created in the Wake of Hurricane Michael,” can be purchased at the Panama City Center for the Arts, 19 E. 4th Street, Panama City, FL 32401. Sale proceeds will be used to raise funds for local disaster relief efforts.