Always Room for Interpretation

Always Room for Interpretation by Deborah Rasmussen is a collection of poems that reach back into childhood, linger in the present, and offer a brief glimpse of the future. They convey vivid memories, current experiences, and durable hopes, set in the context of nature both as wise companion and, often, challenging force. These poems explore realities of Rasmussen's own life, as well as the lives of her extended family, including immigrant grandparents. They are about determination, hard work, growth, loss and grief, but are never without the will to move forward. Resilience is at the heart of this collection, showing itself in the poet's heritage as well as the present as she and her husband face life with his cancer in all its complexities, yet looking forward with hope to the future. The collection includes new as well as previously published poems, some of which have earned recognition: Danish Dumplings took second place in the John & Helen Pappas Memorial Award competition, League of Minnesota Poets, 2016; Post-Pandemic won first place for poetry in the Lake Superior Writers annual writing contest, 2021; Under the Covers on New Year's Day was awarded second place, poetry, by The Talking Stick 31, 2022.

Deborah Rasmussen published her first poem at age 11 in a small-town weekly newspaper. Years later she rediscovered the joy of writing and sharing poetry when, after retiring from her nursing career, she moved with her husband from Jacksonville, FL, to Duluth, MN. Her poems have appeared in various journals including The Talking Stick, The Thunderbird Review and Barstow & Grand. Her work has also appeared on Rattle Poets Respond (R) and in the anthology Bringing Joy: A Local Literary Welcome (Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, 2021). This is her first chapbook.