What the Dead Want Me to Know

What the Dead Want Me to Know, by Janet E. Aalfs, integrative arts educator and former poet laureate of Northampton, MA, offers "a sanctuary...in which ancient truths and current losses, haunting music and dancing shadows, all inhabit the space" - Malika Ndlovu. Through centuries and around the globe, these poems honor grief and celebrate joy. From love songs for family and Appalachian roots, to lyrics grown out of a lifetime of arts activism, cultural exchange, movement meditation, Poemotion(c) performances, vibrant friendships, and exploring queerness across borders and barriers of many kinds, Aalfs' poetry encourages deeper witness. "Her evocative tapestry...invites us to consider the cycle of life through death into spiritual transformation...and to remember and (re)learn compassion toward ourselves and each other" - Mara Luisa Arroyo.