Cover art by Suzanne Moore, 2022, detail of “Mercury” from The Planets [Artist’s book, single edition, in a private collection]. Used by permission of the artist.
Answering Chaos: A Handbook
Poems by Linera Lucas
Kelsay Books 2024
$23.00 at Amazon
Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a manual for survival through poetry, a record of how to withstand the necessary and unnecessary traumas of a long life.
Although the title is wry, it is also serious. I hope that by being forthright about my many mistakes, the reader will know they are not alone. I hope these poems will find the reader who has been waiting for them.
— Linera Lucas
Linera Lucas’ debut poetry collection skillfully delves into the complexities of life and self-discovery. Through a beautiful blend of observation, evocative imagery, and insightfulness, she captures the essence of a life’s journey. Her signature wit and wise voice add poignancy and resonance to each poem. Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a stunning book which explores the generational, historical, and personal, while embracing a deep search for meaning. This is recommended reading for anyone who wants to feel less alone. The poems bravely answer the call of chaos, in lines that smartly ask us: “What are you waiting for? This beauty? Catch it.”
– Kelli Russell Agodon, author of Dialogues with Rising Tides (Copper Canyon Press, 2021)
Answering Chaos: A Handbook is a don’t-mince-words exploration about finding oneself in old age. Through understanding trauma, Lucas has managed to examine, dislodge, and escape her past. The section titles track her journey: How to Survive Childhood, How to Resist, How to Listen. This is a book of poems that crosses a stormy sea and comes to a safe harbor. Sharp. Clear. Clean. Accessible to poets and non-poets alike. Readers will come away understanding that “A dragon wrote this poem. I held the pen.”
– Susan Landgraf, recipient of an Academy of American Poets Laureate Fellowship (2020)
With cinematic flair and the clear eye of the documentarian, Linera Lucas offers readers a lyrical homage to the life of a woman who “must be strong enough to open pickle jars.” Throughout this carefully chronicled collection, I’m guided by an authentic voice, never afraid to laugh at itself or to offer up the truth of a life fully lived. “I am the widow of no husband” is the crucial thread weaving its way throughout this book. Lucas has created both a celebration and an examination of what it means to be a single woman by choice. I found Answering Chaos: A Handbook extremely moving.
– Susan Rich, author of Blue Atlas (Red Hen Press, 2024)
When Home Is Not Safe
When Home Is Not Safe: Writings on Domestic Verbal, Emotional and Physical Abuse
Edited by Judith Skillman and Linera Lucas
Published by McFarland Books, 2021
Available at Elliott Bay Books and Amazon, $19.99
Even if you haven’t been hurt by domestic violence, someone you know has and wishes they could tell you about it. Perhaps you are a therapist, teacher, academic, or social worker who wants to help those who are suffering. Or maybe you are in an abusive relationship and need to know that you are not alone. Others have felt as you do, but with knowledge, support, and the release of shame, victims can become survivors.
The high literary caliber of the poetry, memoir, and creative non-fiction set this anthology apart from self-help manuals and academic treatises on domestic violence. You will read about real incidents of verbal, emotional, and physical abuse, as well as true stories of those who left destructive and unsalvageable relationships. The beauty and truth of the language, as well as the honesty and courage on the page make this journey worthwhile.
In order to fix the serious problems of domestic violence, we must first educate ourselves. Only then can we begin to repair the damage wrought by our patriarchal society, and break the cycle of abuse. Upon emerging from what one contributor described as a “hostage situation,” the outside world comes into focus. Retrospection and healing can begin.
When Home is Not Safe: Writings on Domestic Verbal, Emotional, and Physical Abuse brings a necessary voice to the silent and all-pervasive epidemic of domestic abuse among us. This is a powerful anthology—healing for the writer, eye-opening for the reader. As a therapist and a poet, I highly recommend this collection.
–Gayle Kaune MSW, LICSW, author, Noise From Stars
This anthology on a wide range of abuse is alive in its varied writings, both prose and poetry. The full sensory experience of domestic violence reveals human suffering, as well as triumph over trauma. The sheer existence of these writings is memorable; this is a must read for educators, social workers, and all those in the field of domestic abuse.
–Ellen Katz, PhD, MSW, RSW, Associate Professor, Teaching Stream,
Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work, University of Toronto,
Ontario, Canada
How are we to receive and make use of these cries of the heart? These writings serve as sociological evidence of the imposition of the disturbed narratives of the powerful upon the vulnerable, in our domestic lives. I see them as reminders of the need to assure victims that their narratives matter more, and that the shame of what was done lies with the perpetrators.
–Patty Cannon, MA LMHC
Psychotherapist, Seattle Washington