Catherine Hamrick signs THE TEARS OF THINGS

Overview

“These poems mine deeply for a richness in both language and imagery that cuts against the flatness of much contemporary poetry. With deep roots in nature poetry like Mary Oliver’s, as well as in memories of childhood and the excited and worried journeys of adult life, The Tears of Things renders the world in full.” —Jesse Graves, author of Merciful Days and Tennessee Landscape with Blighted Pine

“Whatever life hands me—love, land, or loss—a way to acceptance means embracing earthly cycles, authentic connections to others, and the comforting puzzle of words,” says Catherine Hamrick. Processing depression and the loss of her parents, she explores the therapeutic value of nature and poetry in The Tears of Things. This collection charts her movement through changing relationships, landscapes, and gardens in the Midwest and Deep South. Seamus Heaney’s interpretation of The Aeneid’s famous line sunt lacrimae rerum—“there are tears at the heart of things”—underpins Hamrick’s sensibility. Observing seasonal flourishes and decay reminds us that love, joy, longing, sorrow, and gratitude arise from life’s imperfection and brevity.

Catherine Hamrick started her career in print, working at Southern Living, Cooking Light, Southern Accents, Victoria, Better Homes and Gardens, and Meredith Books. She taught writing, literature, and communication arts at several colleges and universities before jumping into digital marketing as a content strategist and copywriter. Her poetry has appeared in The Blue Mountain Review, Appalachian Places, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel, storySouth, The Citron Review, and elsewhere. Hamrick has placed three times as a runner-up for the Natasha Trethewey Poetry Prize. Find her online at catherinehamrick.com.