The Marvelous Real

By Tess Barry

In The Marvelous Real, Tess Barry illuminates the ordinary to reveal the extraordinary mystery and majesty of life, love, death, family, and the ghostly world beyond. With precise, vivid language, Barry renders a reality that is always more than meets the eye, always shifting and deepening our perception of the known and unknown. Barry invites readers into a lyrical world of joy, wonder, loss, humor, and human connection. The Marvelous Real is a journey in sound, rhythm, and imagery-from a mother as Walden Pond, to d j vu in Old San Juan, to a childhood game of old church lady bank robbers, a work from Picasso's Blue Period, and a brother's hands. These poems illustrate the power of language to embody and transcend human experience. Barry's debut is indeed a marvelous real.

Finalist, 2025 Birdy Poetry Prize by Meadowlark Press

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1956578846
• ISBN13: 9781956578843
• Release Date: December 2025
• Publisher: Meadowlark Press
• Length: 100 Pages
• Weight: 0.41 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.2" x 7.0" x 10.0"