Mary Dezember

Excerpt of Review of Still Howling by Ann Wehrman for The Pedestal Magazine

— Suzie Housley for Midwest Book Review

“Wild Conviction is a book that will transport you to a world of heated tensions and mesmerizing characters. From the first page, it will draw you into a world where reality and the supernatural intersect, and the past and present collide unexpectedly.

Mary Dezember’s outstanding book tells the story of a spirited teenager in a captivating and inspiring way.

With a signature writing style, Dezember expertly weaves together a tale of adventure, self-discovery, and personal growth that will have readers of all ages hooked from the very first page.”

…“an amazing story that has a little bit of everything readers enjoy…history, romance, suspense, very strong characters, and just a little bit of magic to pull it together…It is well-written, very accurate, and mesmerizing; and it is one that you cannot put down once you begin…

…There is absolutely nothing to say about this book that is not complimentary. ‘Wild Conviction’ is a story that should not be missed by anyone.”

— Kathy Stickles for Reader Views

“…Set in the years leading up to the Civil War, this is an entertaining and socially conscious novel that is a true page turner.

Creating a work of fiction that addresses the horrors of slavery is a challenging task, but the author handles the subject matter adroitly and the writing is truly outstanding.”

— Michael Ostrowski, author of A Model Community and Lost in the Fog

In the World of Wild Conviction

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“Mary Dezember has created a tour de force featuring a strong young woman who displays integrity, independence, empathy, and a commitment to equality— a necessary role model for today’s world and any other.”

— T. A. Niles, from T. A.'s Poetic Expressions-Plus

Still Howling book launch hosted by Strangers Collective in Santa Fe, pop-up holiday event, December 17, 2016.

Poem “Still Howling” (with poem “Endnote to Still Howling”) is First Place Winner of Best Beat Poem, 2016, sponsored by Beatlick Press.

“I blew through this book, similarly to how history was blowing up during this very dramatic and stressful time period of the U.S. . . . I loved how historical events were entwined with the story, and I learned some new things that had me researching those things on the side, which to me, propels a novel into even something more meaningful."

—Maria W. 5-Star Review

“…Dezember’s work and artistry are defined by her search for soul and her use of poems to speak on her soul’s behalf.  The result is edgy, raw, and sensual . . . Earth-Marked Like You is Dezember’s manifesto—that we are all connected beyond our fleshy restraints…”

— Excerpts from review by Alice Osborn for The Pedestal Magazine

“…enormous in scope, technical skill and experiment, and surprise. An enormous achievement. Poems like ‘Skin Traveler’ are sudden master poems that surprise and please: ‘Your body is a map of everywhere I want to go./Yet I can see none of these places are on earth./With you, I become otherworldly,/a skin traveler. . .’ …”— Willis Barnstone, author of Life Watch and The Restored New Testament

“…Above all her precinct is love. With the variety of Sappho’s solitudes, sensualities, and ironic humor, she gives us her galaxies and moon, in movement like everything on earth, before her observing and transforming eye. Read her and be transformed.”

— Willis Barnstone, author of Life Watch and The Restored New Testament

“…Mary Dezember’s poems evoke a soul-searching reminiscent of that experienced when reading John Berryman or Walt Whitman, as she puts her private wants in public view. While many poets shy away from the word ‘soul,’ Dezember uses this word in almost every poem in Earth-Marked Like You….”

— Excerpts from review by Alice Osborn for The Pedestal Magazine

2024 Book Tour Reading and Celebration at The Runcible Spoon in Bloomington, Indiana