Description
Breast Cancer: A Poem in Five Acts
by Kari Wergeland
$14.99, paper
978-1-63534-570-4
2018
Kari Wergeland, who hails from Davis, California, is a librarian and writer. She moved to Oregon at the age of 14 and eventually attended the University of Oregon, where she earned a B.A. in English. She also holds an M.L.S. in Librarianship from the University of Washington and an M.F.A. in Creative Writing with an emphasis in poetry from Pacific University. Wergeland wrote a children’s book review column for The Seattle Times, which ran monthly for 11 years. Her poetry has appeared in Catamaran Literary Reader, Crannóg, Jabberwock Review: A Journal of Literature and Art, New Millennium Writings, Pembroke Magazine, and many other journals.
Kari Wergeland –
In one narrative poem, broken into five parts, Wergeland takes the reader through each phase of breast cancer diagnosis and treatment: “Diagnosis,” “Surgery,” “Chemo,” “Radiation,” and “Follow-up.” These stressful months are occasionally softened by the beauty of San Diego County, particularly the narrator’s own backyard. As she deals with side effects, she draws solace from her Zen practice, as well as the urban wildlife coming her way, though she does encounter a few rattlesnakes. In the end, this breast cancer patient must face the cold, albeit promising, reality of the brilliant technology at Moores Cancer Center, even as she finds the strength to fight for a new life.