Otherwise Known A Book About Death, Disease and Dreams. And A Very Odd Angora Rabbit...

Explore what matters most in Peggy Merriman's haunting debut collection, Otherwise Known; A Book About Death, Disease and Dreams. And A Very Odd Angora Rabbit... A rare blend of poetry and prose, this stunning compilation tackles some of life's most relevant and immediate themes head on. The author's exploration of dreams, the subject of which plays an integral part in poems such as "The Awakening," challenges the borders that seemingly exist between reality and fantasy in a way that evokes deep emotion and reflection within the reader. Meanwhile, in poems like "Seeing Beyond," death is probed as something not wholly permanent. Merriman's own experiences, which inform all of the works within Otherwise Known drives home this particular point when discussing the life-changing experience she had with her own deceased father a year after his passing. Poems such as "The Chrysalis" delve into the physical and emotional state of disease, challenging the reader to examine their own perceptions of what it means to be "abled" and "disabled." These themes and more are expertly navigated in both poetry and prose, with each poem followed by a thorough explanation of the people and places which inspired it. Otherwise Known is about physical and psychic experiences that cannot be explained, yet also can't be fully denied. From being able to prove she saw her father a year after his death to having a doctor from the Mayo clinic tell her the multiple sclerosis that's left her unable to walk seems to have burnt itself out, finding out why there's an angora rabbit on the cover is not the only thing that's going to make the reader think twice.