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Posts by author

Mercedes O’Leary

3 posts
Mercedes O’Leary is a poet, essayist, and grant writer living in Homer, Alaska. Her work has appeared in Literary Mama, Calyx, Great River Review, The Anchorage Daily News, and other places. She was the winner of the 2013 Lois Cranston Prize in poetry. She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from New England College. You can find her on Twitter @Mercedes_OLeary or on Medium @mercedesoleary.
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  • Interviews

A Productive Tension Between Grief and Beauty: A Conversation with Emily Jungmin Yoon

  • Mercedes O’Leary
  • December 9, 2024
I think as a poet overall, I’ve come to really picture specific people when I write, regardless of what the poem is about.
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  • Features & Reviews
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  • Rumpus Original

Taking to Heart Unbearable Reality: The Rumpus Interview with Jorie Graham

  • Mercedes O’Leary
  • October 12, 2022
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.
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  • Features & Reviews
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Make the Story Work, and the Politics Will Look After Itself: The Rumpus Interview with Tony Birch

  • Mercedes O’Leary
  • March 16, 2022
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…
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