Sweat and Dust
Poetry featured in Voices de la Luna: A Quarterly Literature & Arts Magazine
Dear Readers:
I am pleased to share that one of my poems was recently featured in literary journal Voices de la Luna in their May issue, which was themed “Writing Pride.” The fact this poem was published in this particular issue was especially meaningful as it was written about my aunt, who was a gay woman and LGBTQ advocate, women’s literature professor who helped establish the first women’s studies program ever at a Texas university, and supporter of many poets, writers and artists. The poem is featured below, or you can read it online in the May issue at http://www.voicesdelaluna.org. As always, thank you for your support and interest in my work.
I am proud to be a member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative. Please consider reading and supporting our members:
Laura Belin: Iowa Politics with Laura Belin, Windsor Heights
Doug Burns: The Iowa Mercury, Carroll
Dave Busiek: Dave Busiek on Media, Des Moines
Stephanie Copley: It Was Never a Dress, Johnston
Art Cullen: Art Cullen’s Notebook, Storm Lake
Suzanna de Baca Dispatches from the Heartland, Huxley
Debra Engle: A Whole New World, Madison County
Julie Gammack: Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck, Des Moines and Okoboji
Joe Geha: Fern and Joe, Ames
Jody Gifford: Benign Inspiration, West Des Moines
Nik Heftman, The Seven Times, Los Angeles and Iowa
Beth Hoffman: In the Dirt, Lovilla
Dana James: New Black Iowa, Des Moines
Pat Kinney: View from Cedar Valley, Waterloo
Fern Kupfer: Fern and Joe, Ames
Robert Leonard: Deep Midwest: Politics and Culture, Bussey
LettersfromIowans, Iowa
Tar Macias: Hola Iowa, Iowa
Darcy Maulsby: Keepin’ It Rural, Lake City
Kurt Meyer, Showing Up, St. Ansgar
Wini Moranville, Wini’s Food Stories, Des Moines
Kyle Munson, Kyle Munson’s Main Street, Des Moines
Jane Nguyen, The Asian Iowan, West Des Moines
John Naughton: My Life, in Color, Des Moines
Chuck Offenburger: Iowa Boy Chuck Offenburger, Jefferson and Des Moines
Barry Piatt: Piatt on Politics: Behind the Curtains, Washington, D.C.
Dave Price: Dave Price’s Perspective, Urbandale
Macey Spensley, The Midwest Creative, Davenport and Des Moines
Larry Stone, Listening to the Land, Elkader
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Buggy Land, Kalona
Mary Swander: Mary Swander’s Emerging Voices, Kalona
Cheryl Tevis: Unfinished Business, Boone County
Ed Tibbetts: Along the Mississippi, Davenport
Teresa Zilk: Talking Good, Des Moines
We are also proud to be associated with Iowa Capital Dispatch and encourage you to support their work.
https://iowacapitaldispatch.com
Do you know about the Okoboji Writing Retreat? It is an amazing three day retreat full of workshops, many of which are taught by Iowa Writers Collaborative members. There are still a few spaces available!
https://okobojiwritersretreat.com
Dispatches from the Heartland is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
I had to go through that a little over 3 years ago as it became clear that my mom would never be going home again. She suffered from dementia also but died from Covid 19. Unfortunately, her house sold much quicker than we'd expected and in the winter. While there were memories playing on our emotions, we had to make some really difficult decisions about what to keep and what to throw away. It was when we made that last trip to the landfill and looked out on our family's acreage that now belonged to someone else, it hit me. All those years, all those family experiences on those wonderful ten acres, were only memories now.
Wonderful poem Suzanna. Very personal to a lot of us.
Love this so much. That last line...