Flight of the white swan

This collection of poetry and accompanying essay recount the author’s life as
she grows up on a farm in Ireland to leaving and living in America. It is a journey that
begins on the physical, external level and moves into a more metaphysical and internal
one: the field on the farm becomes the field of the imagination; traditional sounds and
rhythms become those of a more contemporary mode. Much of her life is viewed
through the lens of the Irish myth, “The Children of Lir,” which encapsulates the
experiences of exile, loss, rebirth and the construction of identity. The author puts her
background and education in poetry to good use as she deals with the challenges that
arise.