About
My poetry has been published in Ms., The Paris Review, Antioch Review, Northwest Review, Works, and in the Borestone Mountain Poetry volume, The Best Poems of 1977. I am also the author of The Biological Clock: Balancing Marriage, Motherhood and Career (Doubleday 1987; Penguin 1988). My articles have been published in The Paris Review, Quest/77, People, Women’s Day, and other magazines. I've been an editor at The Paris Review and New York Magazine as well as other magazines.
Despite these accomplishments, I went through my life with a bottle in one hand and a man in the other until June 1995, when I walked into my first AA meeting, and was gradually changed through sobriety to be a woman who is no longer empty inside and who has no need to escape reality by disappearing down a bottle of booze.
During this time, I’ve grown old, but I’ve also grown up and retrieved my creative force, found a love for my mother instead of continuing to blame her, fully embraced my children, learned to love myself and enjoy the freedoms of being single, and survived—without a drink—even the worst of what life can deliver.
Molly McKaughan
Quotes
“Alcoholism is slow-motion suicide. Molly McKaughan endured unspeakable tragedy and sank toward despair. These poems are quietly beautiful meditations on lives she lost and the one she saved, her own. It is a guidepost on the path back from oblivion. Her reach and vision is panoramic. Congratulations on this collection.” —Jed Horne, author of Desire Street and Breach of Faith
“A collection of heartfelt and insightful reflections on one woman’s extraordinary journey searching to find her truth.” — Zara Phillips, author of Somebody’s Daughter—a moving journey of discovery, recovery and adoption
“Molly’s poems reflect the miracle of AA, how we learn to live with both joy and sorrow without a drink in Hand. Indeed, this is the miracle of our fellowship.”—Helen J
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“Such depth and imagery. Bravo, my sober sister poet.” — Phillipa S
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“Every poem cuts deep and is beautifully written. It took great courage to write and publish these poems. Very highly recommended.” — Paul Jellinek
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“This book is an amazing achievement, so heartfelt, and so fully honest and unflinching.”— Mary Nakashian
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“These poems are wrenching and beautifully-rendered.” — Mary Geisz
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“This book is gut wrenching and powerful and extremely moving! It truly will make a difference in the world! Thank you.” — Myra Armour
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“I loved this book. Beautifully done, well said, deep, succinct, and personal.” — Mary McTigue
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“The poems do what all good poetry should in my opinion do, which is to convey the essence of something in a way that prose is unable to.”— Susanna Riviere
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"It is not easy, in prose, to open up one's mind and soul to reveal the truth about a life fraught with difficult relationships complicated by addiction and the death of loved ones. To express all these complex emotions and reflections in poetry takes a special skill. Molly McKaughan has written such a masterpiece." —
Karen Shiffman Lateiner, M.Ed., author Timeless Dance: A Story of Change and Loss.
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