anastasia (tess) galati

Through poems and meditations, *Holy Trinity: Maiden, Mother, Crone *delves into the life phases that a woman must enter, explore, and resolve to discover a hidden of wholeness. The poems are grounded in nature, each section beginning with a prose meditation that addresses trees as totems of the human experience.

While the poems are particular to the life of one immigrant woman, the whole is emblematic of the spiritual lives of all women, especially immigrant women, who struggle to find an identity in the midst of gender oppression and tumultuous social change.

The author was born under Nazi occupation, grew up in a small Iowa town, built a career in academia, created a successful consulting practice, published books and videos, married and divorced twice, raised a son, and made sense of reality through poetry.

As an immigrant story, the collection is a critique of cultural expectations and limitations. As a woman’s coming-of-age story, it is an exploration of domesticity, sexuality, surrender, power, family, and community. The final section resolves contradictions, dissolves complexity, and celebrates life itself.