Inspired by her Polish American heritage and her first visit to her family’s homeland, Linda Nemec Foster’s stunning collection poignantly reflects on the immigrant experience–an experience of loss and discovery, of ambivalence and pride, of deep tragedy and redemption. Foster’s own ethnicity as the daughter of second-generation immigrants from Poland is colored by America’s somewhat disinterested view of the “other” Europe and of a country that for over a hundred years did not exist as a political entity. Foster’s attempts to reclaim an ethnic heritage, to search for herself in the mirror of her family’s history, resonate throughout her verse.

“…We glow because we came from the same burnt-out dream
of second-generation immigrants and learned to smile
at the closed mouth of loss and dance, dance, dance.”

from the poem, “Dancing with My Sister”

Notable Review

“In this deeply unified collection of poems about Poland and America, Foster writes with grace and passion, with furious resolve, about the split worlds of her family. She traces the key connections as well as the irretrievable spaces between the Old World and the New, and she inscribes her fine book under the necessary signs of memory, regret, and a retrieving song.”

Edward Hirsch

News

WHY I WRITE – by Linda Nemec Foster

September 10, 2018/in News, Uncategorized /by Administrator

Linda Nemec Foster’s essay is featured on the website, Write Across Chicago, which is sponsored by the Illinois Writing Project based at Northeastern Illinois University. A member of the Society of Midland Authors, Linda is the only non-Illinois resident featured on the website.

Linda Nemec Foster featured on the Poetry Foundation’s Website

September 6, 2018/in News /by Administrator

Linda Nemec Foster is the author of 11 collections of poetry, including The Lake Michigan Mermaid (Wayne State University Press, 2018), coauthored with Anne-Marie Oomen; Talking Diamonds (New Issues Poetry & Prose, 2009); and Amber Necklace from Gdańsk (Louisiana State University Press, 2001).

Review of Amber Necklace from Gdansk in online review journal, North of Oxford

October 16, 2016/in Books, Poems, Review /by Administrator

Reviewed by: Diane Sahms-Guarnieri Linda Nemec Foster reiterates this real and imagined theme of yearning and self-discovery throughout the four sections of Amber Necklace from Gdańsk. . In poem after poem of sculptured landscapes of Old World and New, of Poland (before WW I) to USA of today, Linda Nemec Foster yearns for wholeness, yet […]

Polish-American Writers Reading at the Polish Museum of America

February 12, 2009/in News /by Administrator

On February 12, 2009, The Polish Museum of America hosted a reading by five Polish American writers: Anthony Bukoski, Linda Nemec Foster, John Minczeski, Leslie Pietrzyk, and me. The event was a powerful emotional experience for all of us. Speaking for myself, I know that it’s not often that I have the opportunity to read to an […]

LSU Press: Amber Necklace from Gdansk

November 1, 2001/in Amber Necklace, Books /by Administrator

Winner of the Polish American Historical Association Creative Arts Award Inspired by her Polish American heritage and her first visit to her family’s homeland in 1996, Linda Nemec Foster’s stunning new collection poignantly reflects on the immigrant experience — an experience of loss and discovery, of ambivalence and pride, of deep tragedy and redemption. Foster’s […]

Accolades

Year	Honor	Prize	Description
2016	Featured Book	Book Expo America Special Exhibit	BEA is the leading book and author event for the North American publishing industry. Linda’s book, Amber Necklace from Gdansk, was selected to be included in the special international exhibit on Poland.
2003	Finalist	Ohio Book Award for Poetry	Amber Necklace from Gdansk was honored by the Ohioana Library Association
2000	Nominee	Academy of American Poets’ Laughlin Award	The editors of Louisiana State University Press nominated Linda’s book, Amber Necklace from Gdansk, for this prestigious award