Ellen Austin-Li

Firefly Ellen Austin-Li

In her debut poetry collection, Firefly, Ellen Austin-Li tells the intimate story of her own descent into alcoholism/addiction and subsequent recovery. These poems are inhabited by light and shadow, flying insects and cocoons, the woods and the water--each one a brush stroke on canvas. Taken together, these poems form an impressionistic painting of what it is like to struggle with alcoholism/addiction, as well as what it is like to learn how to live sober. Ultimately, the peace this poet seeks is found within the natural world: "I've heard the woods can heal you...." The deep inner strength she discovers is mirrored in the experience of viewing a partial eclipse: "yet marveled at the power of sun, who gave so much light with the smallest fraction of herself." In the end, this poet comes to realize, "I am not a low hum, but, oh, so much more luminous than I once believed."