"Humorous, ironic, erotic, neurotic, and tender both by turns and often simultaneously... Menaghan's verse is quite wonderful."
Kirkus Reviews
"Prize-winning poet John Menaghan presents She Alone, a sequence of poetry in book form that follows the life of a woman from birth to death and beyond. Changing forms from free verse to heroic couplets and other poetic devices as suits the story, She Alone encapsulates its nameless protagonist's struggle to find her own sense of place and identity in a rapidly evolving world. Alternately passionate, tender, ironic, and erotic, She Alone is a unique experience in epic poetry and enthusiastically recommended."
Midwest Book Review
She Alone, a book-length poetic sequence, traces the life of an imaginary woman from birth to death and beyond, employing a wide range of forms from free verse to heroic couplets and a broad array of poetic devices, all designed to capture the changing moods and circumstances of this enigmatic, nameless woman and her lifelong struggle to find fulfillment, connection, and a stable sense of her own place and identity in a rapidly changing world.
John Menaghan, born in New Jersey to Irish-American parents, has lived in Boston, Berkeley, Vancouver, Syracuse, London, Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Gortahork, and Dingle, and presently makes his home in Venice, CA. Winner of an Academy of American Poets Prize and other awards, he has published poems and articles in Irish, American, and Canadian journals and given readings in Ireland, Hungary, and the U.S. Menaghan teaches literature and creative writing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he also serves as Director of both the Irish Studies and Summer in Ireland programs and runs the annual LMU Irish Cultural Festival.
Kirkus Reviews
"Prize-winning poet John Menaghan presents She Alone, a sequence of poetry in book form that follows the life of a woman from birth to death and beyond. Changing forms from free verse to heroic couplets and other poetic devices as suits the story, She Alone encapsulates its nameless protagonist's struggle to find her own sense of place and identity in a rapidly evolving world. Alternately passionate, tender, ironic, and erotic, She Alone is a unique experience in epic poetry and enthusiastically recommended."
Midwest Book Review
She Alone, a book-length poetic sequence, traces the life of an imaginary woman from birth to death and beyond, employing a wide range of forms from free verse to heroic couplets and a broad array of poetic devices, all designed to capture the changing moods and circumstances of this enigmatic, nameless woman and her lifelong struggle to find fulfillment, connection, and a stable sense of her own place and identity in a rapidly changing world.
John Menaghan, born in New Jersey to Irish-American parents, has lived in Boston, Berkeley, Vancouver, Syracuse, London, Dublin, Belfast, Galway, Gortahork, and Dingle, and presently makes his home in Venice, CA. Winner of an Academy of American Poets Prize and other awards, he has published poems and articles in Irish, American, and Canadian journals and given readings in Ireland, Hungary, and the U.S. Menaghan teaches literature and creative writing at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he also serves as Director of both the Irish Studies and Summer in Ireland programs and runs the annual LMU Irish Cultural Festival.