Poetry Collections

Grace Notes: A Memoir in Poetry & Prose

In Grace Notes: A Memoir in Poetry and Prose, Mary Anna Scenga Kruch creates a hybrid coming-of-age memoir that gives her readers indelible glimpses and insights into a life truly lived. With popular songs as scaffolding, Scenga Kruch ties the stages of her life to the history of her day, most notably the growth of suburbs and the VietNam war. While she pulls no punches in recounting trauma and the forces that can pull families apart, her carefully rendered memories and graceful meditations—suffused with the strength of a loving marriage and immersed in the natural world—let us know that “What Lingers” is ultimately “Benevolence.”
- Dr. Terry Bohnhorst Blackhawk: Kresge Arts in Detroit Literary Fellow; author One Less River (Mayapple Press), a Kirkus Reviews Best 2019 Poetry Title; Pablo Neruda Poetry Prize among other awards.

Mary Anna’s first full-length collection from Goldfish Press is available for purchase through Amazon.

We Draw Breath From the Same Sky

“In this collection, Mary Anna Kruch moves in and out of the past: from stories of her parents and grandparents that began in Italy a century ago to those of her long marriage. ‘I will lean into the language of my family, contributing little – but understanding much’ Kruch writes, but through these poems, she contributes a great deal: the sights, smells, tastes, and voices of her personal history of loss and thanksgiving. ‘Oh how I wish you were here,’ she writes to her father, long dead, when she sits with relatives at her father’s childhood home in Pofi, Italy. Through these poems, Kruch invites all of us as readers to be there with her as well.” –Laura Apol, author of Ladder of Sun (winner of the Oklahoma Book Award)  

Mary Anna’s first poetry collection from Finishing Line Press is available through the publisher as well as Amazon.