The Murderous Sky: Poems of Madness and Mercy

by Rosemary Daniell

Poetry. Women's Studies. In THE MURDEROUS SKY Rosemary Daniell confronts with searing honesty and stunning poetry the pain of her daughter's addiction and her son's schizophrenia. Since giving us A Sexual Tour of the Deep South in 1975, Rosemary Daniell has published numerous other volumes of poetry, fiction and memoir, as well as shepherding the famous Zona Rosa writing workshops. She returns to poetry with what is perhaps her most personal and haunting book; winner of the William Faulkner-William Wisdom Poetry Award, THE MURDUROUS POEMS OF MADNESS & MERCY is a work that will resonate for decades to come. As Gordon Walmsley says, "It took courage to write these poems, and it takes courage to read them."

106 pages, Paperback

Published February 1, 2021

About the author

Rosemary Daniell's new book, Secrets of the Zona Rosa: How Writing (and Sisterhood) Can Change Women's Lives, was published by Henry Holt and Company in May, 2006. Its prequel, The Woman Who Spilled Words All Over Herself: Writing and Living the Zona Rosa Way, was published by Faber & Faber, in 1997. Her revolutionary memoir, Fatal Flowers: On Sin, Sex and Suicide in the Deep South (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1980; Henry Holt & Company, 1989; Hill Street Press, 1999) won the 1999 Palimpsest Prize for a most-requested out-of-print book, and was re-issued that same year. Along with her second memoir, Sleeping with Soldiers (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1984; Hill Street Press, 2003), it was a forerunner of the current memoir trend. She is the author of five other books of poetry and prose, including and her collection of essays, Confessions of a (Female) Chauvinist (Hill Street Press, 2001), a novel, The Hurricane Season (William Morrow & Company, 1992); two collections of poetry, A Sexual Tour of the Deep South (Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1975; Push Button Publishing, 1994) and Fort Bragg & Other Points South (Henry Holt & Company, 1987).

Among her awards are two N.E.A. Fellowships in creative writing, one in poetry, another in fiction. In addition, her features and reviews have appeared in numerous magazines and papers, including Harper’s Bazaar, New York Woman, Mademoiselle, The New York Times Book Review and Mother Jones; she has also been a guest on many national radio and television shows, such as Merv Griffin, Donahue, The Diane Rehm Show, Larry King Live and CNN’s “Portrait of America.” She is profiled in the book Feminists Who Changed America, 1963-1975. In 2008, she received a Governor’s Award in the Humanities for her impact on the state of Georgia; early in her career, she instigated and led writing workshops in women's prisons in Georgia and Wyoming, served as program director for Georgia's Poetry in the Schools, and worked for a dozen years in Poetry in the Schools programs in Georgia, South Carolina, and Wyoming.

Also known as one of the best writing coaches in the country, she is the founder and leader of Zona Rosa, a series of creative writing workshops in Savannah and Atlanta, and cities throughout the world, as described in People and Southern Living magazines, and attended by such outstanding writers as John Berendt, Bruce Feiler, Pat Conroy, Cassandra King, and Eric Haney. To date, almost 60 Zona Rosans have become published authors. For further information, see Rosemary’s web page at www.myzonarosa.com.


“Rosemary Daniell is one of the great writing teachers I’ve seen at work in the country.” – Pat Conroy

“Rosemary Daniell is enormously gifted. Her work is risky – in the best sense of the word. She is one of the women by whom our age will be known in times to come.” – Erica Jong

“She has…proved just how earthy, inspiring, and even rapturous her take on the creative process can be.” – People

Reviews

[Estelle Ford-Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only words I can use to describe the magnificent poems in The Murderous Sky: courage, beauty (of carefully curated words laid just so, enhancing the emotion and pathos of Daniell and her children's lives), incredible talent in crafting the words, capturing the wild swings that were her children's lives. I took time to read The Murderous Sky in episodes of intense enjoyment and empathy. But above all, courage. I so admire Daniell's ability to capture these very complex emotions and events.

I'm going to dip back often. I just reread "Portrait of Lily," which is about Daneill’s only child unaffected by mental illness or addiction, and "Doctor Landa's Voice," a poem so full of hope.

The poet had a life similar to that of my mother and my family, deeply affected by mental illness, so I know what she writes about. There are no easy answers. Daniell did well. She did exceptionally well by her children: attending, raising, rescuing, above all hoping. And loving. And expressing what it was like to the rest of us.

[Theresa Kennedy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book of poetry about a year ago and read it twice. With rich imagery, writer, and longtime poet and author, Rosemary Daniels, writes about the pain and enduring love of being a parent, of being a mother. She writes honestly about the way we all strive to do our best as mothers, and how we are often filled with regret when the years pile up and we're left with memories. How sometimes the unthinkable happens and our children leave first. This is a book of lovely, heart rending poetry that embraces the beauty and despair of motherhood and how we contend with loss. Highly recommended!

[Ellen Ulken · Rating 5 out of 5]

A grieving mother shares her feelings of caring for a daughter with addiction disease and a son with schizophrenia. Both die of their diseases. The writing is hauntingly beautiful even if the message is agonizingly dark. Any person who has experienced the misery of attending to friends or relatives with chronic dependency issues or mental illness should read this book of poems by Rosemary Daniell. It doesn't console, exactly, but it paints the landscape in vivid colors with precise images.