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.
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…