Amnesia by Christy Stillwell

These poems catalog bright moments, and not so bright, as a mother experiences her second-born’s  first year of life. Here we find a writer struggling with the impossible balance of artistry and motherhood, both the rewards and the costs.

Set in a world of loss, these poems by Christy Stillwell deliver with certainty the daily rhythms of home. The whir of fans in August, the insistent pull of an infant’s mouth, and the scrape of snow shovels after a storm compose a new measure of stability for a mother of two young children. I am grateful for the simplicity and courage with which these poems declare, “I believe,” “I understand,” “I wish,” “I love,” “I see.” Stillwell reports the intimate, the difficult, and the awkward as if her life depends on not forgetting. As a result, her poems are unforgettable.

–Diane LeBlanc

With Christy Stillwell’s help, we learn to see with new eyes. Her voice is vulnerable and reflects deep truths of our lived lives. With clarity, her poetic vision invites us into a fuller humanity in her beautiful collection, Amnesia.

–Leah Huete de Maines