About The Author
Marsha Ingrao is an author, editor, and founder of Story Chat Digest, an interactive literary community where writers and readers connect through short stories, poetry, and thoughtful discussion.
A retired educator, she brings a lifelong love of learning and storytelling to her work. She is the editor of the Story Chat Digest anthology series, international collections that reflect the voices and conversations of a global writing community. Her most recent volume is Where Stories Meet.
She is also the author of Embracing the Power to Live, a reflective, poetic memoir on resilience, faith, and personal growth.
In addition, she has contributed to multiple anthologies and is the author of Images of America: Woodlake, published by Arcadia Publishing.
Through her long-running blog, Always Write, Marsha shares stories, reflections, and creative inspiration while inviting readers to engage, respond, and become part of the storytelling experience.
Amazon Summary
Embracing the Power to Live is a poetic journey of a woman’s perseverance despite life’s hard knocks. This collection taps into the true spirit of poetry—reaching ordinary people with the message that they are enough. Some poems hold profound meaning. Others are included simply for the fun of playing with words – a joy reborn when she stepped into the world of syllabic poetry.
Told by different authority figures in her life that she would never marry or achieve her dreams, the author defied the discouraging voices. Her poetry shatters shame uplifts the spirit, and encourages readers to embrace the strength to do the same.
This collection isn’t a self-help guidebook—it’s an invitation to laugh, weep, grow, and live together, connecting hearts through poetry. Embracing the Power to Live is for anyone who seeks to rise above a spinning world to gain strength, perspective, and a new beginning.
Embracing The Power To Live By Marsha Ingrao Review
When I was going through the list of many books Marsha Ingrao has under her belt, I picked this one up on purpose to start with. For those of you who are new here, I was diagnosed with depression as well as an anxiety disorder as a teenager. I’ve been through some extreme ups and downs in my life. However, I’ve finally been able to move past that and begin to really live again for the last few years. And for that reason, I thought this book would be very relatable.
In Embracing the Power to Live, Marsha Ingrao takes the reader on a journey through her life and experiences while also reminding the reader of the importance of embracing the little things that bring us joy. She also helps us understand the importance of tuning out those that try to hold you back and instead encourages us to keep moving forward. Through faith, inner work, self-care, and love, she was able to reclaim her life and reminds us that we too can do the same.
What Stood Out To Me
Of course, the poetry definitely stood out to me. One of the major things I miss about living in Canada is the changing seasons. We don’t really have that in Kenya. And my favourite season was always Fall/Autumn. Coincidentally, Marsha had quite a few poems inspired by that season and I loved reading those. It really took me back to my autumn days. Other than those poems, two of my other favourites from this collection are Writing Is Hard Work (because it is!!) and History Embraces The Winds Of Change. For the latter, she shared some historical background with the poetry which I very much enjoyed reading.
Speaking of which, the book isn’t just poetry. We learn so much more along with the poems and she shares photographs too. I think that’s what really makes this collection stand out. These additions make the poems even more interesting. Because we see the inspiration behind them and learn more about her world/thoughts.
Overall
Overall, I absolutely loved this book. It’s one of the best collections I’ve read and I’ve read a lot of them. Through her poetry, photography, and informative background about it, she is able to paint a vivid picture for the readers. It was like being invited into her life and experiencing what she did. Not something all writers can do successfully but she very much did so. If you’re a fan of poetry, I can’t recommend this book enough. Do give it a chance, I think you would really enjoy it.
If you are interested in reading Embracing the Power to Live by Marsha Ingrao, you can find it on Amazon.
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My first novel, Perfect, is now available on Amazon. If you would like to read it, please click here.
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