"A Fool in Love" by Terri Kirby Erickson
– Is love worth the pain?
My belief in immortality for the people I adored did not pan out.
Terri Kirby Erickson of Pfafftown, NC, is the author of seven poetry collections, including her latest book, Night Talks: New & Selected Poems (Press 53), a Finalist for the International Book Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared in “American Life in Poetry,” Atlanta Review, Rattle, The SUN, The Writer’s Almanac, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and numerous other publications. Winner of the Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, Nautilus Silver Book Award, and many others, her most recent awards are the Annals of Internal Medicine Poetry Prize and the Tennessee Williams Poetry Prize.
Author’s Talk
Terri Kirby Erickson
Terri Kirby Erickson, a North Carolina native, writes both poetry and prose. Her prose pieces have appeared in national and international publications such as O.Henry Magazine, PainPathways, Land Rover Monthly, BoomerCafe, Broad Street Review, Winston-Salem Journal, and more. She is also the author of seven collections of poetry, including her latest books, Night Talks: New & Selected Poems (Press 53), which was a Finalist for the International Book Award for Poetry and A Sun Inside My Chest (Press 53), which was the Winner of the International Book Award for Poetry. Her poems have appeared in “American Life in Poetry,” Asheville Poetry Review, JAMA, Rattle, The SUN, The Writer’s Almanac, Valparaiso Poetry Review, The Wonder of Small Things (a poetry anthology edited by James Crews that won the 2024 New England Book Award for Poetry), and numerous other literary journals, magazines, newspapers, and anthologies. Her awards include the Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, Nautilus Silver Book Award, Annals of Internal Medicine Poetry Prize, Tennessee Williams Poetry Prize, and many others. Late musician Peter Tork of the Monkees and Shoe Suede Blues, said this of her work: “Terri Kirby Erickson writes poetry about the real stuff, engagingly, with sympathy and an open eye.” And according to former syndicated columnist Sharon Randall, she is “more than a poet.” Terri Kirby Erickson “is the best friend you always wanted, the kind you can count on both to tell you the truth, and to help you bear it.” For more information about her work, please visit Terri’s website at www.terrikirbyerickson.com. Her books can be ordered from any bookstore, www.Press53.com, Amazon and all the usual Internet book sellers, and are sold locally at Bookmarks and Book Ferret in Winston-Salem, NC.
