In this collection of poems, Mary Bremier explores the complexity and uncertainty of a writer's life. The poems are grouped by themes: Paths and Portents examine life's journey; Shadows and Light illuminates the painful, dark side of the soul; Creation and Limitation addresses the challenges of authentic communication. The final sections, Transcendence and Nostalgia, both convey the author's special capacity to witness and grasp beauty, despite it all. Her work confronts disability, loss, and aging, yet can be lighthearted and playful. Taken together, these poems charm and inspire us toward a state of creative transcendence.

Reviews from Mary O. Bremier's The Shadows of Appalachia

"Mary Bremier's voice is fresh and wise, filled with the hope and imagination of a child shaped but not defeated by the poverty of her growing years in the foothills of the Appalachians. Her poetry, her humor, her ability to capture the locality's dialect--all bring her family and this unique part of America alive."

Mary Jane Roberts, playwright, novelist, instructor and poet

"From the first sentence, we realize Bremier's writing is first class... the skill with which Bremier crafts the story shows us the shimmering beauty of the Appalachians as a soft and welcoming counterpart to the hard-edged poverty of her time. Once one enters her work, getting out is nigh impossible, because we love every word of the journey she takes us on."

Robert Fox, MFA Writer and Teacher