Julie Valin

Nothing dies for good in Songs for Ghosts, Julie Valin's second poetry collection. In plainspoken and free verse rock 'n' roll style, Valin celebrates the moments that make and break us, the travels that invigorate us, the people who mean the world to us, and the feelings attached to the ceaseless entrance and exit of these moments. Memories intertwined with songs is a motif, and, with a soundtrack included in the back, the book reads as if it's an invitation to hang out with the poet, listening to her handmade mixtape.

The Distance Between reflects a woman balancing her own wild and reckless heart with the responsibilities of marriage and motherhood. It is both the drawing together and the completely falling apart; the slow dancing in the kitchen and the slamming of the doors. To write lines about the one you love such as "and what we have/isn't called sex anymore" and balance it with the simplicity of "Coltrane on the stereo/red wine and mac and cheese/and a quiet bliss" takes raw guts, which Julie has plenty of, as she opens the window to these joyous and painful truths.