The Summer of Dead Birds

Description

In the wake of a painful divorce and the death of a loved one, a poet-narrator turns her attention to the small, haunting details that keep replaying—everyday routines, a devoted companion, and the unsettling presence of dead birds. Written as an autobiographical novel-in-verse, this fierce, funny, and tender journey follows her as she tries to make sense of grief, depression, and failed intimacy, then ultimately chooses motion over stillness by heading out on the road with her dog. Along the way, the poems meditate on how loss reshapes meaning—how the universe can both wound and, in its strange ways, offer relief. With Ali Liebegott’s sharp, compassionate lyric voice, the book becomes a cracked-open aria to mourning and survival, insisting that tenderness can coexist with devastation.

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