Traci Brimhall

LOVE PRODIGAL

“Brimhall follows up Come the Slumberless to the Land of Nod with a deep plunge into the pain of love lost through divorce and the slow scramble to recovery…Refreshingly Brimhall doesn’t fall to rage or ranting but uses the occasion to examine how she’s lived…[S]he celebrates her son, seeks new love, and ruefully acknowledges the limits of a body growing older even as she copes with her mother’s death. What results is an intense flow of loose-limbed, vividly imagined, and deeply felt poems. VERDICT: Brimhall addresses life’s everyday suffering in astonishing language that will attract a wide range of readers. Highly recommend.” —Library Journal, starred review

“During an interview for the Miami Book Festival, she called the book ‘an ode to friendship and the people who love me.’ This is a lovely collection to give — and keep.” —Ron Charles, Washington Post

“Love, divorce, illness, and grief are at the center of Brimhall’s expansive and moving fifth collection (after Come the Slumberless to the Land of Nod). The title poem is among the book’s most evocative, framing love as something that, like the prodigal son, departs, endures hardship, and returns—sometimes changed, sometimes forgiven.”—Publishers Weekly

More Book Resources:

For those teaching the book or who just want to interact with the poems and process more, here’s a video with a book arts project that connects with Love Prodigal.

1. Click on the Diary of Fires cover to watch the instructional video.
2. Download one of the two options for the book arts project layout below!
3. Tag me on social media if you make one!