Falling Into the Diaspora is more than a poetry collection, it's a book of poems-a long story plotted into poetry. What a brilliant idea, taking Princess Mafalda of Savoy and collating her with a mother "... a vindictive raven, flying out of a coal mine in Western Pennsylvania." Mafalda met a bitter end in Buchenwald, and Miller takes us back and forth across time, mixing the elegant with the colloquial, to mesh history with present time. It's rare to find a conceit so arresting and managed so flawlessly. This writer knows that structure is the way to grip us tight. Yes, Miller's breath is on every page-witty, painful, original. She has written a masterwork.-Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate
Don't be fooled by its title, MaryAnn L. Miller's book is about tyranny and rebellion braided by the powers of fate, mystery and a deep abiding respect for personal history that leaves readers captivated. Small miracles are elevated to milestones in the story of immigration and assimilation with characters like Miss Reed who
"... kept my mother's name on a slip of silk paper inside her maiden bra." The Midwife's Tambourine morphs into a mandala with "... a history in blood and water that will not change." Miller is deeply engaged with the world of our mothers and conveys her pursuit with brilliant and precise lyricism that leaves an indelible impression.-Maria Lisella, Author of Thieves in the Family, Academy of American Poets