Annette Gagliardi notices the intricate details of lives lived around her. She notices the dimensions of nature, time and the human condition. And, she tries to understand this world and share that understanding with others.

Annette Gagliardi is a Minnesota writer, author and teacher. The fact that she quilts, gardens, serves tea parties, cares for children, cans and bakes provides grist for the poems and stories she creates. Annette has always lived by the “variety is the spice of life” motto and her published works reflect that. She has two children’s books out: The Three Betty Goats Griff (a fractured fairy tale) and Resourceful Erica (a tall tale) that share her love of storytelling.

This fall Gagliardi launches her first historical fiction titled, Ponderosa Pines. Gagliardi is a contributor and one of two editors for the anthology, Upon Waking: 58 Voices Speaking Out from the Shadow of Abuse. Annette also has poetry in a variety of online and in print journals, magazines and anthologies and has won poetry awards in three states.

A Short Supply of Viability, along with Proper Poems for Ladies . . . and a few naughty ones, too, give you an idea of Gagliardi’s range as a poet. She is passionate about chocolate, loves gardening, serving tea, and having chocolate tea in her garden. Visit her website at: https://annette-gagliardi.com/

Today’s reading showcases A Short Supply of Viability which does not shy away from the difficult subject. Quite the contrary, it confronts universal aspects of the human condition—human decline, our need for care, our love for life, the Joy, pain, and regret we feel as we witness failing health, the passing of loved ones, and more, even as she buoys our spirits, reminding us (as William Cullen Bryant does), to live: "If food is what you want, eat now" ("The Sea Shifts") Ultimately, she embraces death as a lover, part of the natural order, reminding us in her poems that vita brevis est.