An Italian American childhood among coal miners and their families is where these poems begin. Angela Alaimo O'Donnell's new and selected collection then follows her into the rest of her life.
Readical Key Points
- New and selected poems; the publisher describes it as her most personal book yet
- Subjects include immigrant roots, a coal-mining family, childhood, marriage, motherhood and grandchildren
- Poems with some prose passages, according to the publisher
- Paperback, 128 pages, Paraclete Press, 2026
The collection opens in childhood: grandparents who came over from Italy, a family of miners, and the matriarchs who held the family at its center. From there the poems follow O'Donnell into adolescence, marriage, motherhood and life as a grandmother. Settings range from a struggling mining town to a run-down beach hotel. Love and lament sit beside harder memories, in short lines.
Anyone drawn to poems about family, to Catholic poets or to Italian American writing will find familiar ground here, and the publisher suggests dipping into it with friends or family nearby. The book starts with the family she came from and moves on to the family she made.
About the Author
Angela Alaimo O'Donnell, Ph.D., has taught English, creative writing and Catholic studies at Fordham University and has served as associate director of its Curran Center for American Catholic Studies, according to her publisher. She is the author of twelve published poetry collections.
Condition: Brand New and Readical Ready.
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