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Susan J. Wurtzburg

Book

Ravenous Words

By Susan J. Wurtzburg and Lisa Lucas
Brandylane Books

In these tumultuous times, poetry bridges borders, creates connections, and imparts ideas. Writers Lisa Lucas and Susan J. Wurtzburg whispered words and shouted stanzas to each other by text and voice across the geographical expanses of Canada, the USA, and the Pacific Ocean. Their collaboration was adorned later by paired ravens, the cover print created by James Lahey, a noted Canadian artist, living in Toronto.

This raven motif glides through the book sections and their poetry, with connections to the idea of being ravenous, insatiable, and greedy, all of which contrast to the socially-normed perceptions of women. It also links to the long history of strong female writers, hungry for expression, who were largely disparaged and outcast from less contemporaneous poetry histories. Here, the title and poetic content connect these tropes in innovative ways that speak to people in the Americas and Pacific, where most of these works are situated.

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“‘But let’s be real,’ the poet wrote. And indeed these are poems that tell the truth and are nothing if not real. Ravenous Words, a courageous collaboration of poetic worlds, are Sue’s memories and Lisa’s portraits, Sue’s defiance and Lisa’s unsentimental observations. Listening to their poems converse among themselves, through the synergy of their nightmares and daydreams juxtaposed and woven together, we hear, among the voices of spirit animals and endangered seals, of silent monks and plucky travelers, the words of ‘girls who know how to fight.’”

—Janet N. Gold (Professor Emerita, Languages, Literatures and Cultures, University of New Hampshire)

“Follow the currents of this shared conversation between two very different poets and come away with a unique sense of what it means to collaborate. These often hard-earned poems of experience—deeply female, familial, environmental, and lyrical bring their themes to shore in one urgent song, a kind of pact in verse that commands our attention.”

—Kate Sontag (Co-editor of After Confession: Poetry as Autobiography [Graywolf])

“With ravenous passions spanning personal and family history, geography, nature, food, and current events (addressing a range of issues including the pandemic, racism, migrant workers, and sexual assault), poets Wurtzburg and Lucas have imparted to their readers a ‘quilted heritage’ of experience and image in which ‘the world folds, like a handkerchief, and we balance on its crease.’”

—Pamela Wax (author of Walking the Labyrinth [Main Street Rag, 2022] and Starter Mothers [Finishing Line Press, 2023]

About the Authors

Susan J. Wurtzburg

Susan J. Wurtzburg retired from an academic career at the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and now lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Her poetry is grounded in the USA and Canada, where she was born, with some pieces set in Central and South America, where she worked as an archaeologist. In addition to sense of place, her literary output focuses on gender, ethnicity, and the environment. Wurtzburg received 1st place in the Land of Enchantment Award, and the Save Our Earth Award (National Federation of State Poetry Societies), 2024; as well as the Elizabeth M. Campbell Poetry Award (National League of American Pen Women), 2022. She was a semi-finalist in the Crab Creek Review Poetry Competition 2022, and in the Naugatuck River Review’s 14th Narrative Poetry Contest, 2022. Wurtzburg was a Community Poet in the Spring 2023 Poetry Workshop, Westminster College, Salt Lake City. She is a Commissioned Artist in Sidewalk Poetry: Senses of Salt Lake City, 2024; and serves as an Associate Poetry Editor with Poets Reading the News.

Lisa Lucas

Lisa Lucas began her career writing for magazines and newspapers. Later, she wrote extensively on issues related to literacy and health that were featured in publications by the Canadian Public Health Association, several literacy organizations, and hospitals across Canada. She is the recipient of the CIBC Children’s Miracle Maker Award for advancing literacy among people with special needs. Several years ago, Lisa partnered with Laurie Stein, an illustrator, and began writing for children covering subjects from climate change to refugees. Their work has been recognized by the New York Times, Kirkus Reviews (starred), Publishers Weekly, and more. Their books have been translated into several languages and are widely recognized throughout Canada and the US. More recently, Lisa has turned her attention to poetry and historical fiction. She has had the privilege of collaborating with John Kapelos, Steve Landsberg, Balaji Swaminath, and of course Susan Wurtzburg on this anthology.

Website: lisalucas.ca