Love Lessons is Mary Ellen Capek's first collection of poems, spanning fifty years, where she describes growing up in the '50s, coming of age in the '60s, first love, sex, marriage, her mother's early death, friendships, divorce, stepchildren, and coming out as a lesbian at age 45.
Several poems central to Love Lessons focus on language, paying tribute to Adrienne Rich and other writers struggling to realize Rich's "dream of a common language," essential for describing women's lives. Her poems also focus on the interconnectedness of all creation, with allusions to essential understandings of justice, human rights, and the intersections of history and politics within our day-to-day lives.