The older I get, the more encouraged I am to find people older than me publishing their first book. Bonnie Naradzay, 80, demonstrates an extraordinary range in her debut collection, “Invited to the Feast.” 

A longtime poetry teacher, she has worked in prisons and with unhoused people, bringing the light of verse to those who need it most. 

Her poems are sometimes in conversation with classical writers like Dante and Virgil, but her attention always remains focused on the ground in front of her, as in a witty poem called “Gilgamesh at the Retirement Center.” 

Among the most touching pieces, like this one below, are those reflecting on her family.
 

Interpreting Signs
   — For my daughter

Born into air,
unpredictable sprite,
she spilled into my life
without slowing down.
It was always like this.

Teaching her to ride
a pink bicycle that June
on Assateague,
I ran alongside,
shouted “I’m holding on,”

as she pedaled faster,
sped up, looked back and laughed,
while keeping her balance,
to see me shrink
behind on the wildlife loop.

Feeling small, I wobbled
back into my own life,
casting a long shadow,
and it wasn’t yet noon.

The herons in the wetlands
didn’t look up, even
when she rounded the bend,
braked at my feet, and asked
why I let go so soon.

Excerpted from “Invited to the Feast.” Copyright © 2025 by Bonnie Naradzay. Published by Slant Books in 2025. Reprinted with permission of the publisher and the author. All rights reserved.❖