Poetry. Moving between contradiction and ambiguity and illuminating approaches to complex subjects, DeFrees's poetry is concentrated, multi-layered, at times humorous and characterized by an interest in the many aspects of words: their literal and figurative meanings and associations; their histories, usage, disappearances, and resurrections. In her newest poems she casts a lifelong glance back through history and lineage, balancing the need to reclaim individuality against the relinquishment of the self.

"In carefully crafted, passionate, and elliptical language, DeFrees claims 'her inheritance of nerve and bone.'"—Library Journal

Author City: SEATTLE, WA USA

At 17, Madeline DeFrees entered a Catholic convent and remained a nun for 38 years. She has published nine volumes of poetry and has taught at universities and colleges throughout the United States. Her most recent book, BLUE DUSK, won the Lenore Marshall/The Nation prize. She lives in Seattle.