To the Men Who Write Goodbye Letters

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To the Men Who Write Goodbye Letters

The poems in The Men Who Write Good-bye Letters deal with death and our relationship with time, making sense of the choices made when we “end” things, or when things end without our permission, whether it be the end of a life, the end of a romance, or the result of an unexpected tragedy. These poems are a poet’s observation and reflection on the reasons for loss and endings, for survival and redemption, and an exploration of the poetry in the choices made. The collection also examines lives searching for clarity and value, ultimately leading to self-discovery and self-affirmation.

AUTHOR

Gianna Patriarca

Gianna Patriarca’s publications include seven books of poetry and one children’s book. Her first collection, Italian Women and Other Tragedies, was runner-up to the Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Award and in 2009 was translated into Italian and launched at the university of Bologna and Naples. My Etruscan Face was short listed for the Bressani Literary Award in 2009. Her work has been extensively anthologized and has been adapted for Canada Stage Theater and for CBC radio drama. Gianna’s books appear on the course list of Canadian, American and Italian universities She lives and works in Toronto.

Reviews

“To The Men Who Write Goodbye Letters is the work of an artist at the top of her game. In this elegantly crafted collection of poems, Patriarca has tapped into one of poetry’s most magical powers, its ability to sweeten the tragic and make it palatable to the human heart. Even when the poet sings of suicide and death, there is gentle comfort in the lyrical flow of the voice and its loving attention to the simple and ordinary details surrounding even the most sorrowful events.”
–Luciano Iacobelli, author of Book of Disorders and Dolor Midnight

“Gianna Patriarca’s reflective collection is a poetic reckoning in which missed opportunities,unspoken words, and ‘secrets and silences’ are confronted in ‘order to let go.’ In a sympathetic, incisive voice the poet faces a haunting of lovers, deceased family and friends and an immigrant community prosperous and dispersed. This percipient work is a taut redress to loss and promises not kept. A testament to the intimate burden of memory.”
–Joseph Sciorra, Calandra Institute, New York, author of Built With Faith: Italian American Imagination and Catholic Material Culture in New York City

“Gianna Patriarca has never been afraid to confront issues of powerless, silenced women marginalized by their conditions. With deceptively simple language this strong, rich collection of poems speaks to us with forceful emotion, one that readers will return to again and again.”
–Joseph Pivato, Athabasca University, editor of The Anthology of Italian-Canadian Writing

“Ai poeti resta da fare la poesia onesta,” Umberto Saba said once. In this collection, Gianna Patriarca turns the heavy soil of painful loss and asks us to join her in this difficult harvest. With humorous lifelines and tasteful metaphors still in place, these poems remind us to stay with our troubles and that it is okay not to be okay. Both triggering and cathartic, Patriarca’s words will leave you thankful for her never-failing blunt honesty.”
–Paolo Frasca, University of Toronto, Mississauga