You Gave Me This Day

New Poetry Collection Celebrates the Universal Mother

(SOUTHBURY, CT -- July 16, 2025) - What's the connection between a photo of Nonnewaug Falls in Woodbury, Connecticut, and poems that emerge from the struggle to cope with the loss of a mother?

Connecticut poet Sandy Lee Carlson's 11th collection of poems, You Gave Me This Day, explores the answer to that question.

“Since my mother passed on 4 November 2019, I have faced the challenge of finding for myself the centering force that she once provided for me and for my family,” Carlson says when describing the impetus behind the collection as well as the creative concept running through it.

"I don't feel I can create a single thing without my love for my mom at the heart of my motivation.  But it's not about grieving loss the way it was five years ago.  Now it's about seeing the love she taught me in all that I see.  She didn't invent love; she recognized and honored it.  That is what I am trying to do," says Carlson.

So how is the image of Nonnewaug Falls relevant to a poet who lives in Southbury?  "That's simple," Carlson says.  "With my husband Ed Dzitko, I raised my daughter Adella in Woodbury.  A Region 14 graduate, she was a Chief.  We grew to know and love our town.  My heart is here." Carlson adds that her mother's family came to Woodbury after the Revolution and settled here to farm before they migrated to Woodbury and to Stamford to work in industry.  The history of the place is part of her history.

"The story of Woodbury is the story of who I am.  The falls capture an image of the source of life.  When I took this photo, I encountered a bunch of people who were swimming in the water despite the signs telling them not to.  It was a hot day.  There was water.  I like to think about how we live life before, and without, the signs.  It was a special moment."

You Gave Me This Day is available on Lulu.