Under the dual skies of Italy and Western Pennsylvania, these poems take us on the journey of two Mafaldas and the push and pull of their seemingly diametrically opposed lives. But what we find are the very human commonalities of suffering, joy, and, in particular, the small and large moments in every life, onto which reckoning seems to hinge. Miller is a keen and astute student of history, both the personal and the public, and shows us a glimpse into a world pulsating with the delights of arias, princesses, love, sun-warmed figs, grapevines, and Puccini as well as the trials small town struggles, desperation, the quotidian and royalty under siege. Fact and fable mingle with the careless hopes and desperate dreams that provide a portrait of lives' worth knowing-and for our own betterment, taking to heart and learning a lesson or two from along the way. -Michelle Reale, Author of Blood Memory: Prose Poems, and Confini: Poems of Refugees in Sicily
Falling Into the Diaspora is more than a poetry collection, it's a book of poems-a long story plotted into poetry. What a brilliant idea, taking Princess Mafalda of Savoy and collating her with a mother "... a vindictive raven, flying out of a coal mine in Western Pennsylvania." Mafalda met a bitter end in Buchenwald, and Miller takes us back and forth across time, mixing the elegant with the colloquial, to mesh history with present time. It's rare to find a conceit so arresting and managed so flawlessly. This writer knows that structure is the way to grip us tight. Yes, Miller's breath is on every page-witty, painful, original. She has written a masterwork. -Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate
Don't be fooled by its title, MaryAnn L. Miller's book is about tyranny and rebellion braided by the powers of fate, mystery and a deep abiding respect for personal history that leaves readers captivated. Small miracles are elevated to milestones in the story of immigration and assimilation with characters like Miss Reed who "... kept my mother's name on a slip of silk paper inside her maiden bra." The Midwife's Tambourine morphs into a mandala with "... a history in blood and water that will not change." Miller is deeply engaged with the world of our mothers and conveys her pursuit with brilliant and precise lyricism that leaves an indelible impression. -Maria Lisella, Author of Thieves in the Family, Academy of American Poets