Another Native Tongue

From the foreword by editor Rebecca Kinzie Bastian: "Susan Riley Clarke left this plane of existence before her work was assembled in any formal way; she didn't leave a manuscript, or collection, just scraps of writing, poems published in literary journals, and word documents in no particular order. Incredibly, in the midst of her own grief, her daughter, Megan Hart, started sorting and collecting every bit of her mother's writing she could find-journal pages, handwritten notes, magazines, computer files-and put them together in a tender pile for me to arrange and edit. . . .The resulting book is a love letter. A story of generations; a memory song; a tribute to time, change, loss, the way this earth both includes and spins away from us. It is a celebration of life. Susan's writing is lyrical, muscular, evocative. Her striking voice stays true, year after year, and tells the story of her mother, her children, her own life, like a timeless fable we recognize and participate in."

"Clarke's poems dazzle, her voice luminescent, holding all that she loved into the light. . . .This is a book to hold close, a 'native tongue' to celebrate, poems that will stay with us, poems that bring home the true purpose of a poem."

-Carol Potter, author of What Happens Next is Anyone's Guess

"This glorious collection you hold in your hands will be a blessing to you. Maybe you can learn a thing or two-not just about crafting a poem, but about living an authentic life, pain and all."

-Jan Frazier, author of The Great Sweetening: Life After Thought

"Clarke reminds us that this world, no matter its imperfections, is a beautiful place in which to spend a lifetime. "

-Carla Panciera, author of Barnflower: A Rhode Island Farm Memoir

"A tribute to a brilliant poet and kinder friend, and a must-read for all who desire an authentic life, no matter the cost."

-Anne M. Dichele, author of Ankle Deep and Drowning

SUSAN RILEY CLARKE was an educator and freelance writer from Massachusetts, where she lived for most of her life. Born in Westford, she raised her children in Amherst, and enjoyed her retirement in South Yarmouth. Susan spent a number of years in Connecticut, where she was an associate professor in the School of Education at Quinnipiac University. Another Native Tongue is a posthumous collection, as Susan died unexpectedly in her sleep in 2022.

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