Crazy Bitches

by Roberta Beary, Kevin Beary (Contributor)

130 pages, Paperback

Published March 8, 2025

Reviews

[Lafcadio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy Bitches was the first book I read this year. But it was not my first book by Roberta Beary. I have been an avid fan for many years. The haibun in this book create of sense of being included in her life. The glimpses, real and sometimes slightly unreal, feel genuine and accessible. Quiet confidences from a friend. They are written with courage, compassion, melancholy and often humor. I've read it several times straight through. I will continue to dip in whenever I can to ground myself in truth.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

crossing to safety
on the high wire
blackbird song

Roberta Beary writes Haibun which immerse us in experiences of trauma, loss, secrets with searing insight and faultless pace. Her beautiful haiku bring a beautiful illumination to the prose. She is a master of the genre and I will read and reread this collection to learn and become a braver writer myself.

[Charlotte Digregorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy Bitches by Roberta Beary is a generous and brilliant haibun collection of prose with haiku. Beary, a childhood trauma and abuse survivor, has written a riveting work, all the more striking for its understatement in her haiku in which objectivity prevails. Beary’s gift for capturing description and detail with succinctness in each of her pieces, is remarkable and a model for writers of all genres. Readers will be captivated by her skillful expression of family dynamics in each of her eighty haibun, including her perseverance through personal relationships and family illnesses and deaths. To describe Beary as simply a master of the art of haibun falls short, as she has elevated it. Crazy Bitches is a timeless masterpiece to reread many times to fully appreciate its beauty and the author’s courage and candor in writing about painful, life-altering experiences.

Further, the stunning art of Kevin Beary, the author’s brother, and family photos, enhance the book.

– Charlotte Digregorio, Author of Wondrous Instruction and Advice from Global Poets: How to Write and Publish Moving Poems and Books and Publicize Like a Pro

[Caroline Bock · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want to explore the haibun form -- a mix of flash and haiku -- read this masterful collection, CRAZY BITCHES, from Roberta Beary, with a great title, a series of haibun exploring growing up, men, sex, death, and so much more. It's all written with a sharp eye--and with precision-- often with black humor-- from the grim reaper to being on her 'high on her da's shoulders; I savored it all.

I love reading poetry as I think of what's next for my own writing. Kudos to CRAZY BITCHES... Caroline

[Robin Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crazy Bitches by Roberta Beary is more than a well-crafted collection; it is a hand extended to those who need connection. A master storyteller and haibuneer, Beary shares deeply personal narratives of trauma, tumult, love, loss, and astounding resilience. Their command of the haibun genre weaves an awe-inspiring tapestry for the reader. Complementing the text, Kevin Beary’s cover and interior art reflect a convergence of trauma and abstraction, collaborating beautifully with the haibun through shared fragmentation and emotional intensity.

[Dorothy Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a collection long-time coming by haibun master, Roberta Beary, as witnessed by seven
pages of publication credits. The five black and white family photographs are endearing and the
linear colour abstracts by her brother add visual interest. Organized into three parts: Cheshire Moon,
Send Lazarus, and To See in the Dark, the pieces are precise and compact with haiku gems like:

autumn leaves-
at last the light
turns green

Essential reading for haibun enthusiasts.