Small Off Things: Meditations From An Anxious Mind

by Suzanne Farrell Smith

In this captivating collection of essays, Suzanne Farrell Smith tells the story of her life, not as a linear progression through time, but as a series of encounters, situations and events that reflect the absurdities and anxieties inherent in living in our world, the “small off things” that can so easily loom large and important. Each section contains six pieces that spring from one of the five major anxiety disorders listed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all of which are part of the author’s diagnostic history. Funny at times and often heart-stoppingly poignant, Small Off Things: Meditations from an Anxious Mind examines the fight or flight of everyday life. With a keen eye and ironic wit, she examines the surprising power even the least of our interactions can have.

150 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2023

Reviews

[Melissa]

I enjoyed this collection of essays delving into anxiety and disability and how these indelibly affect and shape a life in visible and invisible ways. Farrell Smith writes in a straightforward, clear, accessible, and openly personal prose style that is a pleasure to read. The volume is also lovely to hold and to look at, with heft to it, printed on thick paper and featuring lovely line and abstract artwork on both cover and flysheets separating the book's five sections by Alison Hildreth. As a writer who very much appreciates and makes use of the relationship between writing and art in her own work, this is a particularly welcome approach for me in the work of others. Essays I especially enjoyed: "The Pearl," "Hole," "Small Talk," "The Lost Object," "Listening to Love," and "Men Come Here."

[CRM · Rating 4 out of 5]

a thought provoking, honest collection of essays. I identified with more than I expected.