New from Anxiety Press: Firmer Ground

Anxiety Press is pleased to announce the release of: Firmer Ground by Beth Mulcahy

Blurb

Firmer Ground is the debut poetry collection from Beth Mulcahy.

Reviews

“It’s in the blood. It’s in the writing. In Beth Mulcahy's book of poetry Firmer Ground heredity, blood ties, and the stories we tell ourselves about ourselves, are explored with radical honesty and gorgeous language. This collection taps into something passed down like red hair. Something beyond us, and unique to us. The intimacy in Mulcahy’s words combined with her gift of craft brings you in so close, you can recognize your own face in her reflection.”

-Kellie Scott-Reed, AEIC Roi Faineant Press

“Beautiful poetry ('inhale/exhale' is a personal favourite) is placed alongside well-crafted hybrid pieces like 'Meeting of the board of directors of your life', displaying Mulcahy's skills across genres and formats. Beth very cleverly gives the reader a "firmer ground" as they progress through this chapbook, both of her (as an individual) and of her own stoicism in her individuality. Mulcahy firmly establishes herself as a writer to look out for with this chapbook.”

- Shiksha Dheda, author of Washed Away and The Tragedy of Touch

“Beth Mulcahy’s Firmer Ground details the intricacies of relationships and thoughts through varied poetic styles and art. She traces the importance of potatoes, shawls and combat boots through geoneologies, but more than lines tracing their way down a family tree, Beth illuminates the fact that shared trauma and success permeate generations, how shards of violence create visible cracks even in the strongest of us and how sometimes the smallest and most peaceful moments outweigh anything written in a textbook or broadcasted on the evening news. Mulcahy’s poetic voice and supplemental drawings invite readers into a life and history that is uniquely hers, but woven with threads that knit the fabric of all of our worlds.”

-Matthew McGuirk, author of Oil Stains Like Rorschachs

"In this collection of hybrid creative writing, Beth Mulcahy explores the complexities of family ties and the interplay between where we've been and where we're going. The roots that twine us together are strong, but the inheritance we receive can be both a gift and a burden. With a wistful tone, the author examines the moments of regret and frustration that come with family relationships, while also celebrating the power of remembrance and the hope that can be found in even the most challenging circumstances. Through a blend of poetry, prose, and experimental forms, this book offers a poignant reflection on the joys and challenges of navigating family dynamics and finding our place in the world."

- Arden Hunter, EIC Cutbow Quarterly

“What first struck me about the speaker of the poems in Firmer Ground is the empathy and kindness she extends in all directions of time and space—toward her ancestors centuries and continents away, her own school age self, as well as to those relationships close to home of mother and daughter. Mulcahy brilliantly weaves in a motif of photographs that are both active vehicles to transport us to the past, as well as stagnant portraits of people lost, their secrets along with them. My biggest take-away from Firmer Ground is that Beth Mulcahy knows how to stick a landing! The last lines of her poems resonate like the echo of a penny thrown into a wishing well. The various uses of form allows for an evolving and dynamic reading experience. There is a refreshing and playful mix of cadences: both everyday speech and the lyricism of poetry. The use of confessional, satirical, theatrical, and lyrical styles makes for an engaging read—a welcome new surprise with every turn of the page. Humor, heartbreak, and delicious pathos wait around every corner. Mulcahy does not overlook the tragedy or violence in everyday life and relationships, she cups it in her hands and studies it through a lens of tender hopefulness.”

- M.M. Kaufman is an award winning writer and Managing Editor of Rejection Letters Lit

About the Author

Beth Mulcahy is an award-winning poet and writer whose work has appeared in Full House Literary, Roi Faineant Press, Sledgehammer Lit, Rejection Letters, and scissors & spackle, among others. She writes to bridge the gap between history and the self, between hurt and healing. Beth lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. She works for a company that provides technology to people without natural speech.