Liza Roe
Liza and I met in college. We both attended Salisbury University, which is located on the Eastern shore of Maryland. We took a hiking class together, and our final for that class consisted of hiking an unmemorable amount of miles on the Appalachian Trail in the middle of the winter, carrying all of our supplies on our backs and traveling in small groups of three or four. I have a distinct memory of carrying a bag of raw chicken breasts, marinating in Italian dressing, for two days straight. It was so cold outside I did not need to pack it in ice - it kept just fine in the cold weather. I remember it not tasting that great once I finally cooked it over a fire, and I hope that if Liza had a bite of it she did not judge me for my poor outdoor cooking skills.
Liza recently published a book of poems, titled The Sober Poet - A Collection of Poems From A Recovered Alcoholic. When I first learned of Liza’s book I was initially thrilled that someone I knew had entered the world of authorship, but it wasn’t until I read her book that my level of respect for her as an artist skyrocketed. I was blown away by Liza’s ability to string simple words together to form a collection of poems that truly devastated me (in the best way). I was especially taken by her poem Reckless Driving, which portrays two versions of Liza violently struggling for control over a speeding car. The underlying metaphors, the chaos, and the vulgar words all collaborated to create a scene of true inner turmoil.
The entire book is a masterpiece, and I am so grateful that Liza decided to share her vulnerable poems with the world. Even if you cannot relate to alcoholism, I encourage you to explore Liza’s work. There are portions of her poems that can apply to a multitude of life lessons, and I guarantee there is something inside of her book that will resonate with you, deeply.
If you would like to learn more about Liza, you can visit her website and follow her on Instagram.
The poets Liza mentioned in her interview are: Mia Hutman, Danny Wright, @feel.outloud, Rohan Samuel, Ali Blanco, and Shannon Stephan.
