Survived By: A Memoir in Verse + Other Poems

by Anne Marie Wells

SURVIVED BY, began after Anne Marie learned of her father's terminal cancer diagnosis. On December 13, 2019, after her father collapsed, too weak to even hold an ice chip in his mouth, she found herself writing poetry after having never written poetry before. When she felt the most lost and the most desperate, her instinct urged her to borrow a pen from the nurse's station and write poems on the back of receipts she found in her purse.

Poems in this collection vary in form, creating a visually interesting collection that will make readers curious to turn to the next page. Her book explicitly invites readers to rip pages out, draw on them, and even write their own words on them.

SURVIVED BY, will appeal to individuals working through a grief journey and individuals who have experienced and are working through emotional hardships. This memoir in verse and selected other poems were born from the pain induced by watching her father slowly lose his life. Writing these poems kept her from drowning in her grief, and she hopes that others can find a similarly buoyant companion in this collection and use her words in whatever ways they need in order to stay afloat too.

Genres: Grief, Poetry, Memoir

174 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 30, 2023

About the author

Anne Marie Wells is an award-winning poet, playwright, memoirist, and oral storyteller. She is the founder and host of The Joy of Poeting, a weekly Zoom show and emerging brand. Her debut poetry collection, Survived By: A Memoir in Verse + Other Poems, was published by Curious Corvid Publishing in April 2023. Her chapbook Mother, (v) won the 2023 Cinnamon Press Pamphlet Contest and was released in 2024. Her bilingual children’s book Mommy, Why Am I a Bird / Mamã, porque sou uma ave was published by Imprensa da Universidade de Coimbra in 2015 and later featured on Wyoming PBS in 2020. In 2025, she published the coloring and activity book Underwater Explorers & Rescuers in collaboration with the global nonprofit Ethical Seafood Research as well as self-publishing a writing prompt collection titled Write Some Cool Sh!t: 366 Prompts to Rekindle Your Creativity. Her travel memoir, Happy Iceland: How Icelandic Strangers Taught a Miserable American the Secret to Lifelong Happiness, will be released by Star Belt Press in June 2026. She is a freelance copy editor, proofreader, and writing coach.

Reviews

[Annie Auvil · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the most relatable readings I have come across involving losing a dad. One of the hardest journeys. Very hard read but very moving.

[Danielle Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Marie, I’m sorry that you had to go through this, as it is a pain I would love to spare everyone from and yet a pain we must all suffer.

SURVIVED BY is heart-wrenching if you’ve already walked Grief Road. Wells has such a way of capturing The Moment, The Now of every last memory. This read catapulted my 35-year-old spirit back into my 9-year-old body, losing my mom to lung cancer.

What I didn’t have, what I needed — was a guidebook, which is what Wells has written despite her acknowledgement that “there’s no guidebook.” She shows us that there’s no way to exist in grief or pre-grief without our humanity spilling into every moment. It is hard to be selfless and it’s hard to be brave, and oh yeah — we don’t have to be. We just have to love love love our person all the way to the end and all the days after.

Bring tissues.

[Julia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a touching tribute to life, love, and loss. This book is so beautifully written and made me cry in the most cathartic way. It’s an emotional roller coaster through grief and a great reminder to appreciate your loved ones while you can.

[Aimee Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

The format of this book is very unique and a pleasure to read. The topic is heavy, but the stylistic verse urges you on. I think it's very brave to write about one's grieving process since it's so personal. Hopefully by sharing her story, the author is able to make others feel less alone in their own grief.

I adore the term “love army” and feel comfort knowing I have my own love army so close to me. For so long I felt lost in a dark pit of loneliness…but I’ve worked hard to build up community that I can call my love army. Accepting help is so difficult when we don’t feel worthy, sometimes giving help reminds us that we are worthy of being on the receiving end as well.

From: Let the Mice Run Away With Our Teeth

let me know the pieces butchered in front
of you / the wild and gamey breath / the
scent that blends into every shirt, every
sheet / the shit not suitable for sensitive
stomachs / censored in front of your mother
/ i want to choke on sobs born from
someone else / i want to feast on your grief
instead /

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I mean... **I** really enjoyed it... and my mom said it was good, so...

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I felt a strong conection to this collection. The pain of loosing a parent is immense. Was a beautiful tribute to your father.

[Spencer Bookcase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this. Some of the memoir though while written in verse, I'm reluctant to call some of it "poetry" (hence why I'm not giving it five stars). I really appreciate the depth Anne Marie went telling about her grief over losing her father. As for the actual poems in this book, I really did like them. My favourites are Eta Cunis Minoris, Diagnosis, Four Quatrains, Eta Ursae Majoris, Catholicism still lingers in a concrete poem.

[Jeanette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although my father passed away 14 years ago, this heartfelt story helped me to understand my own journey living a life without my dad, and now my mom for 6 years. Thank you for sharing your pain and trusting your reader to understand your innermost thoughts. You have helped many people through your poetry.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anne Marie Wells' "Survived By" is not an easy read because of how the book touches upon grief and loss. The poet's poems gripped onto my soul in ways that words couldn't describe. Much of the experiences and the language in the work made me reflect difficult and vulnerable moments from my own journey through grief and its complexies. The collection is cathartic and painful all at once. Every poem will leave an imprint on readers.