Blue Reverie in Smoke: Collected Poems 2001-2016

BLUE REVERIE IN SMOKE explores the lonely and taxing journey of discovering what it means to be human, in all its variables, risks and rewards. This is a collection of poetry that takes on the mundane of a woman's life; the good, the bad and the potentially spirit breaking. Some of the poems focus on motherhood and the joyous challenge of helping our children reach adulthood, contrasted with the often difficult process of learning to let go.

Other areas of focus include the difficult aspects of long term marriage and the inevitable personal betrayal that results when people fall out of love. Theresa Griffin Kennedy embraces modern free verse, with a slight formalist tone that could be compared to English poet James Fenton or the more intimate poetry of American poetess Sharon Olds.

This is a book that delves into the melancholy and fluid process of remembrance and forgetfulness. The remembrance of cherished loved ones and the complex relationship to long regarded enemies. It is a book of verse that takes on the universal challenges that face any woman who has ever loved, lost and tried again.

Author Theresa Griffin Kennedy grew up in Northwest Portland during the challenging sixties and seventies. She came of age in the 1980s, during what is commonly referred to as The Greed Decade. Kennedy graduated from Portland State University with undergraduate and graduate degrees and was educated as a creative writing instructor. She spends her time writing literary fiction, specifically the genre of Domestic Noir, which she also refers to as hyper realism. Kennedy writes historical profiles, poetry, nonfiction essays and various articles and essays on current events and Portland politics. Kennedy works as an editor of other writers work and volunteers her time mentoring younger writers. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband, writer and author Don DuPay, is a registered Democrat and an active supporter of the Oregon Assembly of Black Affairs. She is the author of several books, including the excellent short story collection entitled Burnside Field Lizard and Selected Stories, which was a finalist for a national book award in 2019. She is the editor of Oregon Greystone Press.