The Quiet After You: Poems About Love

by Valerie Nifora

123 pages, Paperback

Published November 4, 2025

About the author

Valerie Nifora was born and raised in New York to Greek immigrant parents. For over twenty years, she has been a Marketing Communications Leader for a Fortune 50. She has served as a ghost writer for several executives and has executed award-winning campaigns using her special gift as a storyteller to inspire.

Her first romance novel, The Fairmounts, debuted as a #1 New Release on Amazon. Garnering a 5-Star Review from the Seattle Book Review calling her work, " a beautiful romance novel, full of suspense, mystery, tales of old legends, and so much more."

She's also written a collection of romantic poetry, I Asked the Wind, that explores innocence, sensuality, passion, desire, heartbreak and loss through the lens of her personal experience spanning 15 years. I Asked the Wind has won three awards including. a Gold Award from the Nonfiction Authors Association, a 5-Star review from the San Francisco Book Review, a Top 10 Finalist for the Author Elite Awards a globally recognized honor, and a Distinguished Favorite by the Big NYC Book Awards.

Valerie holds a B.A. in Communications from Emerson College and an M.B.A. from Fordham University. She is married and a mother of two amazing sons.

Reviews

[Jeffery Sexton · Rating 4 out of 5]

The memories came rushing back, more powerful and emotional than I expected. It had been forty years, but the poetry brought me back instantly. Alternating between raw emotion and somber reflection, your heart is given scant rest as the pages are turned; you vacillate from sadness to joy, from regret to remembrance. Though seldom more than a few lines, they strike out boldly to the heart and the human condition. Moments of kind words spoken in hushed tones are sharply punctuated by volleys of grief. The interspersed grayscale photos remind one of a time past where the pain was real, and so was the happiness. While there were a great many that stood out to me, several found a place in my psyche and have taken up residence, to wit:

"I rolled over
To kiss your shoulder
As the sun rose
But you were gone."

Hardly more than a thought, yet carrying a weight of sadness so profound as to be indescribable.

"Do not fear heartbreak.
It is the price for living."

And what a dear price we pay, many times over, for we see a future that isn’t bleak, if only…
I could carry on so for paragraphs, but I want you to discover the magnificent anguish for yourself. What a wonderful, though heart-scathing at times, read for a cold evening and a warm fire, replete with tissues, of course.

[Diane Calabrese · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valerie’s poems in “The Quiet After You”, are absolutely beautiful. These poems hit home for me––and would for anyone who has experienced loss and grief. The simplicity and grace with which they are written is breathtaking.

I especially love how Valerie started off her poetry book with the phrase “For anyone who has loved deeply and lost quietly.” Many people experience loss––but not all have the ability to grieve in front of others. This speaks to lovers who were especially silent about their relationship or couldn’t share their pain.

My favorite poems were “Before You Said Goodbye”; “Why have You Died”; and “The Clouds Roll By”––they are all heartfelt and bring validation to our hidden thoughts and feelings.

I highly recommend this poetry book to anyone grieving a lover.

[Michael Thomas Perone · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Quiet After You by Valerie Nifora is the latest in her collections of heartfelt, poignant poetry. Split into three parts and an Epilogue, the book flows as beautifully as an orchestral piece. My favorite poem is “Heartbreak,” with its appropriately heartbreaking final line: “Do not fear heartbreak/It is the price for living.” There are so many more perfectly realized lines in this book, but I don’t want to give them all away. Do yourself a favor and pick up this book for the poetry lover in your life.