April 05, 2021 Why I Never Finished My Dissertation Paperback – TLC Book Tours

Publisher : Headmistress Press (August 18, 2019)
Language : English
Paperback : 108 pages
ISBN-10 : 1733534512

Named one of seven Best Indie Poetry Books of 2019 by Kirkus.

Foley’s writing may appear sparse and reserved but it harbors a subtle power. The poet’s greatest strength is her acute sense of observation. She possesses the ability to thread sensuousness into the fabric of everyday life. . .This is a dazzling volume of poetry that delights in crisp imagery and tender recollections.
—Kirkus Reviews

Eric Hoffer/Montaigne Medal Finalist
Eric Hoffer/da Vinci Eye Finalist
Eric Hoffer Book Award Honorable Mention

The quest to discover why this poet does not complete a dissertation, leads to an astonishing read. This collection reveals a wide range of life-changing experiences beginning with a marriage to a hunchback Moroccan, almost twice the writer's age. Other poems express revelations and observations that arise out of travels, such as a trip to Tehran, where the poet stands on a bullet-riddled balcony watching a hurried crowd "spill Khomeini from his coffin." The signature poem unveils a suddenly busy domestic life in a second marriage with three young children and puppies. Toward the end readers experience love which results in marriage with a same-sex partner. No matter one's personal story, what makes a story great is how it is told.
—The US Review of Books

MY REVIEW:

This April is National Poetry Month and what amazing time to be reading this amazing collection of poems by Laura Foley. 

In "Why I Never Finished My Dissertation", I found her words beautiful and real, giving the readers a snapshot or glimpses of her life, her everyday life, the beauty of nature, the hardship of being a mother, or even marrying a man to become a Muslim wife and to give him a green card because it was less terrifying than being with a woman she likes, or her visiting her older sister in a psychiatric hospital. More than that is her love for Clara - her wife, the story of her son, the birth of her grandchild, the political climate, and a host of other horrors of our current life, but it is also the beauty of love and kindness for humanity and the miracles of life. 

In less than 100 pages and definitely a collection that could be read in one sitting, I did enjoy these over the weekend reading and re-reading Foley's thoughts and feelings through her words. The poems are quite immersive, keenly observant, funny at times, but gut punching and heart wrenching many a times. I really enjoyed this one. 

Thank you for having me in this amazing tour and to have had experienced Laura Foley's brilliant work of art. 

This was absolutely fantastic I highly recommend. Enjoy!

AUTHOR SPOTLIGHT: 

Bio is from Bio — Laura Foley (lauradaviesfoley.com)

Laura Foley won first place in the Common Goods Poetry Contest, judged by Garrison Keillor (her poem “Gratitude List” was read on Prairie Home Companion); the 2016 National Outermost Poetry Prize, judged by Marge Piercy; Harpur Palate’s Milton Kessler Memorial Poetry Award; and the Grand Prize for the Atlanta Review’s International Poetry Contest.

She is the author of six poetry collections, her most recent being WTF. The Glass Tree won the Foreword Book of the Year Award, Silver, and was a Finalist for the New Hampshire Writer’s Project, Outstanding Book of Poetry. Joy Street won the Bisexual-Writer’s Award. Her poems have appeared in journals and magazines including Valparaiso Poetry Review, Inquiring Mind, Pulse Magazine, Poetry Nook, Lavender Review, The Mom Egg Review and in the British Aesthetica Magazine.