Vital Signs: Poems of Illness and Healing

by Martin Dyar (Editor)

Vital Signs is a collection of powerful and courageous responses to the human experience of illness and healing.

Representing the best of contemporary and classic poetry, Vital Signs is a book for our times, a book for every reader, and a testament to the value of the imagination in the face of adversity.

Martin Dyar's inspiring selection includes poems by Leland Bardwell, Eavan Boland, Christy Brown, Raymond Carver and many more.

190 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 2022

About the author

Martin Dyar was born in County Sligo, Ireland, and raised in County Mayo. His debut book, Maiden Names (Arlen House, 2013), was a book of the year selection in the Guardian and The Irish Times and was the winner of the 2009 Patrick Kavanagh Award. His other honors include the Patrick Kavanagh Poetry Award in 2009, and the Strokestown International Poetry Award in 2001. He has received two Arts Council Literature Bursary Awards, the most recent in 2013.

Reviews

[Podge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highlights:

A History of Snow - Paula Cunningham
Everything is Going to be Alright - Derek Mahon
Casualty - Miroslav Houlb
Babysitter - Molly Twomey
Philomena's Revenge - Rita Ann Higgins
In the Women's Cancer Ward - Anne Kennedy
What the Doctor Said - Raymond Carver