The Pugilist’s Daughter by Janet Lowery

As I read Lowery’s brutally honest and brilliantly crafted poems, I was reminded of the late Stanley Plumly’s advice to aspiring poets: “embrace your pain—it’s often the most compelling thing you have.” Here is a collection for all that have endured an adored family member’s losing battle with substance abuse (in this case alcoholism) and those that would hope to understand the anguish. In elegantly crafted poems of coming-to-terms with the conundrum of the love-hate relationship with a bigger-than-life father and the family he loved and failed, Lowery, known for her insightful channeling of classical women of myth, brings us her timeless personal voice on her own epic journey to clarity and peace.

–Dave Parsons, 2011 Texas State Poet Laureate, author of Reaching For Longer Water   

From the first poem in Janet Lowery‘s The Pugilist’s Daughter, we are pulled into a gripping narrative that never loses its tension. These are courageously disturbing poems that comprise a powerful collection. Once you start reading, you won’t be able to stop.

–Wendy Barker