Mercedes O’Leary is a poet, essayist, and writing mentor. Her work has appeared in Permafrost, Boshemia, Cirque, Literary Mama, Calyx, The Anchorage Daily News, and other places. She runs the Substack essay series Looking for the Night Dispatcher. She was the winner of the 2013 Lois Cranston Prize in poetry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New England College.
As I say to myself, living under the reality of this new, second cancer, I am rich in minutes. Maybe not in years, or, who knows, even months. But minutes, yes. So, I try not to squander them.
It is easy to be awed by Tony Birch’s prolific body of work—his dynamic career ranging from firefighter to professor—his deep love of family and heritage, and his humility. He…