Shards of Blue-- available now from Finishing Line Press

My chapbook, Shards of Blue, is now available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press.  The poems in the book tell the story of my great-great-grandparents, John and Mary Ratcliff, from the time they moved to Kansas in 1854 as part of an abolitionist community, through the Civil War, in which John was severely wounded, through the post-war years during which Mary took on more of the work running the farm since John was unable to do so.  John suffered from depression after the war (likely post traumatic stress syndrome) and found solace with their hired girl, Melissa, with whom he had an affair.  The book ends with John and Mary's divorce, and Mary striking off on her own with their four youngest sons, taking out her own homestead in Smith County, Kansas.

The book is available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press.

Ships August 21, 2015.