Here on my lap, in a small plastic bag, my share of your ashes. Let me not squander them. Your family blindsided me with this gift. We want to honor your bond they said at the end of your service, which took place, as you'd arranged, in a restaurant at the harbor, an old two-story boathouse made of
poet
Amy Gerstler
Amy Gerstler received her BA in psychology from Pitzer College in 1978 and her MFA in nonfiction from Bennington College in 2000.
Her books of poetry include Scattered at Sea (Penguin, 2015), which was longlisted for the 2015 National Book Award; Dearest Creature (Penguin, 2009); and Medicine (Penguin, 2000), which was finalist for the Phi Beta Kappa Poetry Award.
Gerstler is the author of art reviews, books reviews, fiction, and various journal articles. She also collaborates with visual artists, and her writing has been published in numerous exhibition catalogs.
Gerstler has taught at Antioch University, Bennington Writing Seminars program at Bennington College, and at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, California. She currently teaches in the MFA creative writing program at University of California at Irvine. She lives in Los Angeles, California.
Selected Bibliography
Scattered at Sea (Penguin, 2015)
Dearest Creature (Penguin, 2009)
Ghost Girl (Penguin, 2004)
Medicine (Penguin, 2000)
Crown of Weeds (Penguin, 1997)
Nerve Storm (Penguin, 1995)
Bitter Angel (Carnegie Mellon University Press, 1990)
The True Bride (Lapis Press, 1986)