In Letters to the Dead, Toni Ortner reaches across the boundaries of memory, grief, and time through a series of intimate poetic letters and meditations. Addressing departed friends, family members, and writers, these poems explore mortality, friendship, loss, aging, and the enduring mysteries of consciousness. Moving between vivid recollection and spiritual inquiry, Ortner reflects on dreams, pandemic solitude, literary ancestors, and encounters that blur the line between life and death. Tender, contemplative, and deeply humane, this collection invites readers to consider what remains when names and forms disappear and how love continues beyond absence.
Toni Ortner has published thirty-five books. Forthcoming are Passing Through (Deerbrook Editions), Monarch in the Desert and The Door that Opens into Light (Dancing Girl Press), and the Pandemic Journal (Inanna Press). Her website is toniortner.com where you can see her books and reviews and hear a recording. She lives in Vermont and hosts the Putney Library Writers Salon on Zoom to introduce presses to readers in Vermont. She taught English courses at the University of Connecticut and Monroe College, among others.
Title: Letters to the Dead
Author: Toni Ortner
Publisher: Rockwood Press
Released: 2026 - July
Format: chapbook, acid-free paper, silk cover
Pages: 54
Price: $10
ISBN: 978-1-59498-238-5
In Letters to the Dead, Toni Ortner reaches across the boundaries of memory, grief, and time through a series of intimate poetic letters and meditations. Addressing departed friends, family members, and writers, these poems explore mortality, friendship, loss, aging, and the enduring mysteries of consciousness. Moving between vivid recollection and spiritual inquiry, Ortner reflects on dreams, pandemic solitude, literary ancestors, and encounters that blur the line between life and death. Tender, contemplative, and deeply humane, this collection invites readers to consider what remains when names and forms disappear and how love continues beyond absence.
Toni Ortner has published thirty-five books. Forthcoming are Passing Through (Deerbrook Editions), Monarch in the Desert and The Door that Opens into Light (Dancing Girl Press), and the Pandemic Journal (Inanna Press). Her website is toniortner.com where you can see her books and reviews and hear a recording. She lives in Vermont and hosts the Putney Library Writers Salon on Zoom to introduce presses to readers in Vermont. She taught English courses at the University of Connecticut and Monroe College, among others.
Title: Letters to the Dead
Author: Toni Ortner
Publisher: Rockwood Press
Released: 2026 - July
Format: chapbook, acid-free paper, silk cover
Pages: 54
Price: $10
ISBN: 978-1-59498-238-5
