Her Birth

A poem sequence that is spare, tender, and haunting, this book navigates the difficult territory of grief and loss. Poet Rebecca Goss’s newborn daughter Ella was diagnosed with severe Ebstein’s Anomaly, a rare and incurable heart condition, and lived for only 16 months. This collection of moving, deeply thoughtful poems brings Goss’s professional and personal experiences to bear, beginning with Ella’s birth, her short life, and her death, and ending with the joys and complexities that come with the birth of another child.