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Are you Ready to be seduced?
Mary Kennedy Eastham's work has been called darkly beautiful, erotic, lyrical and haunting. One reviewer said sitting down with her poems blew his hair back flat reminding him of when he was in high school laying in the grass at the end of the runway as the jets took off.
In the title poem, 'The Shadow of a Dog I Can't Forget' a woman, married for only sixty days, deals with feelings of melancholy by inventing a mysterious dog only she can see.
In this carefully crafted world of runaways, mystical goddesses, happy strippers, and Marilyn Monroe returned to us to comment on her life being auctioned away, the poet's words nag at us the way only a great seduction can ...like liquid pearls falling from the sky above/as soft and easy as a fortune teller's dreams/We are beautiful alone with ourselves/they seem to say/evening snowflakes floating/beneath a faint moon/like fingertips about to touch/a new piano/each sound, each song/a miracle.
'Points of Love', a poem from this book was a $5,000 award-winner in the Dorothy Sargent Rosenburg Annual Poetry Competition
The last poem in this book 'A Hymn for Wish' appeared in Shine' magazine ~ October 2007 issue.
Her poem 'Valentine's Day' appeared in Vision Magazine ~ February 2008 issue and has been chosen to promote peace and community connection by the International Valentine Peace Project.
Mary has been asked to be a judge in future Shine's writing contests.
'A Hymn for Wish' was a Winner in the 2008 Poetry SuperHighway Contest. |
"Storytelling for readers
who like their words wrapped in silk."
2007 Runner-up for
BEST POETRY BOOK
2007 Honorable Mention Winner
D.I.Y. Guerilla Marketing
LA Book Contest
6"x 9" ~ 76 pages
ISBN: 978-0-9727721-7-4
Published by: Robertson Publishing
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Poems in the book: |
Is there ever such a thing as a tiny betrayal? |
The Soul of a Red Rock |
Breaking Them In |
The Making of Names |
Find The Men Who Killed the Horses |
Terrorism |
Malibu |
Clouds |
Points of Love |
16 Parisville Place |
What Marilyn Says About Her Things Being Auctioned |
Untitled |
The Priestess Who Sang at Midnight |
Chiaroscuro |
Kissing Harrison |
Hands |
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Home |
Valentina Pearl |
Magic in the Dunes of Pismo Beach |
Imagining the Colors of a Taos Sunset in the Rain |
Hopscotch |
What He Did at the End of His Life |
The Shadow of a Dog I Can’t Forget |
Beauty |
Stripping for Blind Men |
Undress Me |
Destiny of Joy |
Forgive…Move On…Remember |
The Anniversary |
One Strong Girl |
A Hymn For Wish |
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Book Review by Lisabet Sarai
You wouldn't guess that the title belongs to a love poem, would you? You'll find many surprises in Mary Kennedy Eastham's slim volume of poems and prose, most of them wonderful. Ms. Eastham's poetry is sharply observed and emotionally genuine. It encompasses both humor and pathos. While not all of the pieces in Shadow of a Dog are erotic, many focus on desire, love, and loss, and in particular, the power of fantasy and memory.
Poetry, like music, is a highly personal taste. When I turn on my favorite songs, my husband holds his hands to his ears. Some poems resonate, setting up harmonious vibrations of emotion. Some do not. Not everyone will enjoy Ms. Eastham's style, superficially casual but cutting to the bone. But I did.
My favorite poems in this book are the ones about love and desire. "Kissing Harrison" chronicles a fantasy relationship with a "bareback meteorite cowboy" who comes to town looking for a "good girl/bad girl" who isn't the narrator. And the dark imagery in "Stripping for Blind Men". Then there's the stunning prose/poem that opens the book, "Is there ever such a thing as a tiny betrayal?" The non-erotic poems are equally powerful "What He Did at the End of His Life" brought tears to my eyes.
Poetry is difficult to describe. It exists only as first hand experience—hence all my quotes, frustrating attempts to convey the emotional impact which, really, can only come from reading an entire poem, the way the author intended—perhaps re-reading it, a second or a third time, seeing new angles, feeling new emotions.
If the quotes above resonate with you, pick up a copy of this book. And read it more than once.
Lisabet Sarai
November 2008 |
--> Donna Gillespie, the author of two historical novels, 'The Light Bearer' and 'Lady of the Light'.
Mary Eastham's 'The Shadow of a Dog I Can't Forget' Runner-Up for 'Best Poetry Book' in USA Book News 'Best Books of 2007' is far more than a collection of striking prose poems and short stories, these gems are enchanting narratives as well.
Here you'll find achingly poignant explorations of love and loss, first encounters with death, glimmers of bright, painful adolescence, pathos over our betrayal of nature. Eastham knows how to illuminate the telling detail that reveals a life, while calling up what's missing in your own. No, this is not a book about dogs, though dogs do lift their metaphorical heads. These poems and stories introduce you to real people - who live inside us all. 'One Strong Girl' illuminates the whole of a life, it is a condensed eternity. 'Find the Men Who Killed the Horses' brings up a primal rage against those who commit brutal acts against the defenseless.
Eastham can write of ...' a hand that has not been held for years,' and bring up a sorrow for all humanity. This writing is intense. A man whose wife died in the Towers during 9/11 seeks comfort against a 'pain that feels like thunder trapped under the skin.' Eastham can shift instantly from the deadly direct to the hauntingly suggestive. You'll get used to encountering lines that beg to be read aloud so you can get the feel of them on the tongue.
This collection is a strong potion meant to be slipped slowly. I would suggest treating yourself to a poem or story a day. Afterward, you'll find yourself more alert to the extraordinary hidden within the ordinary.
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--> Writers Digest ~ 15th Annual Int'l Book Awards Commentary ~ October 12, 2007, Judge: 18
These are beautifully written, intriguing poems. The cover image is an excellent match to the book's content. I enjoyed the lively language, unusual imagery, and the poet's unique vision. |
--> One Awesome Writer ~ Martha Alderson "Plot Whisperer" (Los Gatos CA)
Lovely, lovely words and feelings, images and emotion. Amazing writer you are, Mary. What an imagination and talent you have for moving your reader on a deep level.
"When asked to describe her childhood, she said it was like riding a bicycle through sand." Ahhhhhhh. Perfection.
Kissing Harrison sent me on a journey of emotion that comes from rich and authentic details. In the end, I ached for her lost love. Same with the title poem. Beauty, too. Loss and love, the two thematic threads tie the book together. Universal, thus evocative.
Undertones, deliberate? or not? hint at deeper themes. A man can't give her what she wants because another woman has already stolen his heart. hmmmmmmm
To love and to lose. Mary's book leaves me determined to live fully in love while thumbing my nose at the impending loss...
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--> Prevailing!! ~ S. Lorraine "Author & Poet" (Independence, KY)
Mary utilizes colorful phraseology in her deep and passionate verse. Her contemporary style evokes promise unlike those in similar fashion. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys avant-garde, thought inspiring poetry. |
--> The Shadow of a Dog I Can't Forget ~ Jan Pitcher "Artist/Author" (Los Gatos, CA USA)
This little book of poetry is so ecclectically dramatic, deep, gristy and full of lightness sans the fluff, every time I pick it up and then reluctantly put it down, I'm left empty and full and changed in the same moment, wanting more. Beautifully done, Mary Eastham! |
--> Denise Ruiz, an art consultant in San Francisco ~ posted on Barnes & Noble
Mary Kennedy Eastham's stories and poems are like lullabies for adults... |
--> A reviewer ~ posted on Barnes & Noble
If you liked Susan Minot's 'Evening', Mary Kennedy Eastham's 'The Shadow of a Dog I Can't Forget' has the same beatiful language and the same themes of love and loss threaded throughtout.
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--> The most memorable poetry book I've read this year ~ D. Gillespie "Donna Gillespie" (San Francisco, CA, USA)
Mary Kennedy Eastham is a natural storyteller the way some athletes are thought of as naturals. I think one on-line reviewer said her stories were like lullabies for adults. I, too, found a kind of ecstatic beauty in the lyrical quality of her writing. She challenges you and makes you emotionally stronger at the same time. 'Shadow of a Dog' is a good read...wise, funny, intense, and always entertaining. Here are poignant tales of real people; this book will haunt you long after you've read it. |
--> Great book beyond a shadow of a doubt! ~ Todd W. Walsh "Co-Creator, Surf Stronger™" (Coastal California)
Mary's poems surprised me in a good way, like the waves down in Santa Barbara when I'm night surfing. She's a word temptress, keeping you challenged, enchanted and always wanting more. I can't wait for her next book to be out - The Possibilities of Love
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Mary Kennedy Eastham's award-winning poetry and short stories have appeared in over 75 books, magazines, small presses and e-zines in the United States and abroad. The publishing list includes ‘Glamour’ magazine, Paris Transcontinental, the Circle Magazine, THE BEST of Map of Austin Poetry, the Paterson Literary Review, Poetry Superhighway, muse apprentice guild, Pearl magazine and the Red Rock Review to name a few.
Mary calls herself a Word Actress letting her characters perform different roles on paper which is of course weaving her own needs, her own fantasies, her love, her loss and her joy into the poems and short stories she writes.
Her work has received a Chekhov Award, an Allen Ginsberg Poetry Award and she is a two-time award winning recipient of Literary Grants from the ARTS COUNCIL SILICON VALLEY.
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Mary has starred in and done voice-overs for a number of independent films and was recently featured in the trailer for the reality show BLOW-OUT. Here she is with Jonathan Antin. |
Mary and Sholeh Wolpe (Southern Cal poet/activist)
at the LA Bookfest, April 2007
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Mary went to Mexico and read a wedding poem
she wrote for her friend Katie.
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Be on the look-out for other books from Mary Kennedy Eastham:
…The Possibilities of Love – Short Stories featuring the story CHANNELING AVA GARDNER about a young woman who buys a used copy of AVA GARDNER – ‘Love is Nothing’ only to find Post-It notes tucked into the book’s pages, presumably written by Miss Gardner herself, helping the woman with life decisions she’d been trying to make. |
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…CAKE FOR BREAKFAST – How To Live Your Best Life. This is the book we all wished we’d had growing up filled with my own quotes and life observations and quotes from people I admire. |
Here are just a few: |
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Ask yourself this simple question every day: HOW CAN I BE BETTER? |
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There is really only one choice to make in life – you can have a good time OR you can have a bad time. |
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’Dreams don’t have deadlines.’ Rapper LLCool J |
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’That which we surround ourselves with becomes the museum of our soul and the archive of our experiences.’ Thomas Jefferson |
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Find someone who loves you NO MATTER WHAT. |
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Sneak out to a movie now and then in the middle of a work day. |
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’Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your heart and try to love the questions themselves.’ Rainer Maria Rilke |
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'I am a writer. I should have been a courtesan...' Anais Nin |
Her Blog THE-ONE-AND-ONLY-MARY (found at Blogit) has been called ‘exuberant’, ‘a beautiful weaving of your life and writing’.
Mary would love to hear from you. She is available for bookstore and Book Club Readings, Workshops & Residencies. You can contact her at marylovesdogs@sbcglobal.net
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