Necessary Fire

Poetry. NECESSARY FIRE, KMA Sullivan's debut collection and winner of the St. Lawrence Book Award, opens a window into the world of a woman who is mother, partner, daughter, and lover. Surprising in the variety of moment, wrenching in detail, grounded in grief and care, this collection moves from the innocence and bravery of a young son coming out in a world set to crush him, to playing hymns so a dying mother can plan her funeral service, to witnessing the breaking of a son who had been abused and abandoned in earlier years and cradling an adopted daughter long enough for her to find her own voice, all the while experiencing the fullness and desire and ebullience that comes from loving others and being loved without limit. NECESSARY FIRE offers a deluge of image and emotion and experience, a deluge that only a heart on fire can survive.