In Indigo, Ellen Bass deepens her mastery of the praise poem, exploring the duality of loss and exquisite tenderness that lives at the heart of almost everything. Bass plumbs the miraculous from the stuff of life—the grit of oysters, taking an old dog out to pee in the night, shopping at Ross. In a series of aching love poems, the mundanity of marriage gives way to vivid sensuality, even as—under the weight of age and illness—Eros bends its neck to grieve what will be lost. A lifelong advocate for those who might otherwise go without a witness, Bass shows her compassion in these pages. She offers the ragged, beautiful world her steady attention, her devastating precision. Graceful in their melding of the narrative and the lyric, gorgeous in their complexity, these are poems to be savored.
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Like a Beggar is the work of a mature poet grappling with the most essential question—how do we go on? In the face of sorrow and suffering, with the ever-present awareness of our mortality and the increasing threat of environmental devastation, how do we find the courage to fully inhabit the moments of our lives? Mixing revelation and humor, despair and awe, whimsy and intelligence, Bass holds a mirror of unflinching compassion in which we see our flawed and exquisitely beautiful selves.
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The Human Line, Bass’ seventh book of poems, startles with its precise detail, intimate images, and wild metaphors. Bass brings attention to life’s endearing absurdities, and many of the poems flash with a keen sense of humor. She also faces many of the crucial moral dilemmas of our time–genetic engineering, environmental issues, continuous war, heterosexism–and grounds her vision in the small, private workings of the heart.
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Dorianne Laux says “Ellen Bass sees into the life of things with a quiet power, creating a poetry that goes straight to the heart. Bass is a poet of the elemental, always struggling to manage the science and biology of life with the mysteries of religion, philosophy and consciousness. In doing so, she helps us to appreciate the small miracles of this common life that we often take for granted. It’s as if she is so startled to be alive, she can’t help asking every moment to stop and let her examine it, ask it a question. In this age of violence and disconnection, as we spend more and more time looking for a technological fix, this kind of poetry is a necessary reminder of who we are, why we’re here and where we are going, each day bountiful, spacious, precious. It is a poetry that opens our eyes so that we see our lives as a continuum of such days. Ellen Bass has created a woman who stands on the edge of her life, looking for the moment that might change us all.”
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THE COURAGE TO HEAL
A Guide for Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Co-authored with Laura Davis
Fourth Edition
The new, updated and revised 20th anniversary edition of The Courage to Heal is now available. The Courage to Heal is an inspiring, comprehensive guide that offers hope and encouragement to every woman who was sexually abused as a child – and those who care about her. Although the effects of child sexual abuse are long-term and severe, healing is possible. The authors weave personal experience with professional knowledge to show the reader how she can come to terms with her past while moving powerfully into the future. They provide clear explanations, practical suggestions, a map of the healing journey, and many moving first-person examples of the recovery process drawn from their interviews with hundreds of survivors. The Third edition is also available in Nine Languages and Audio Format.
BEGINNING TO HEAL
A First Book for Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Co-authored with Laura Davis
Beginning to Heal is a small book which offers hope, support, and guidance for all survivors starting the healing journey. No matter how great your pain today, you can not only heal, but thrive. Based on selected parts of The Courage to Heal, Beginning to Heal takes you through the key stages of the healing process, from remembering and crisis times, to breaking the silence, grief, and anger, to resolution and moving on. It includes inspirational highlights, simple and accurate explanations, practical suggestions, and compelling first-person stories where survivors talk about their pain, their strength, and their triumphs.
FREE YOUR MIND
The Book for Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Youth – and Their Allies
Co-authored with Kate Kaufman
Free Your Mind speaks to the basic aspects of the lives of gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth: self-discovery, friends and lovers, family, school, spirituality, and community. Alive with the voices of more than fifty young people, rich in accurate information and positive practical advice, Free Your Mind talks about how to come out, deal with problems, make healthy choices about relationships and sex, connect with other gay youth and supportive adults, and take pride and participate in the gay and lesbian community. Free Your Mind also presents detailed guidance for adults who want to make the world safer for lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth. Available in German
I NEVER TOLD ANYONE
Writings by Women Survivors of Child Sexual Abuse
Co-edited with Louise Thornton, Jude Brister, Grace Hammond, Jean Huntley, and Vicki Lamb
In this book, 34 women tell how they were molested by fathers, uncles, neighbors, and strangers and how they survived. A reissue of the now-classic anthology of deeply moving testimonies by survivors of child sexual abuse — with a new afterword by Ellen Bass.
I LIKE YOU TO MAKE JOKES WITH ME, BUT I DON’T WANT YOU TO TOUCH ME
This gentle picture book tells the story of a girl who goes to the grocery store where she jokes with her friend at the counter. But she doesn’t like it when he tickles her. Her mother helps her to understand that it’s all right to tell him how she feels, and that the two can continue their friendship. This book is Bilingual with the text printed in English and Spanish.