River Song And Other Poems
From youthful innocence through illness and bereavement, Detroit poet charts the wild and disorienting experience of grief
Traverse City, Michigan—It was during the initial Covid lockdown, with a box of her poems nestled in a closet, that led Deborah Hochberg to becoming a published poet in 2021. Assuming they’d be discarded should something happen to her; she published Waiting for the Snow which was followed by Memory’s Reservoir. Now River Song, Hochberg’s third collection of poetry, her first in chapbook form, Mission Point Press, (May 29, 2025), traverses the landscape of loss.
Sharing her deeply personal story, Hochberg said, “In October 2021 someone very dear to me, my friend Kenneth Cassabon, left this world. He was an extraordinary spirit—warm, generous, compassionate, life-affirming, with a tremendous gift for friendship. As time passed, I found myself often writing about this tremendous loss, what happened before his passing, after he passed, the more distant past, and the relentless passing of time. After about three years, I realized I had a collection of poems that were all related to this experience, and I decided to publish River Song in honor of Kenneth, and in the hopes that the book could serve as a companion to others experiencing grief and loss.”
A Life Lived Through Poetry
Weaving back and forth in time, from youthful innocence through illness and bereavement, River Song seeks to chart the wild and disorientating experience of grief. Through sadness, disbelief, self-recrimination, longing, and anguish, as well as joyful memories of communion, these poems map the efforts of one soul’s attempt to grapple with profound loss. Existing in a place between absence and presence, these bittersweet and unsentimental poems honor a singular relationship and the persistence of human connection.
As Hochberg jump-started her writing, she joined the Detroit Poetry Salon, a forum for a small group of writers who meet to share their work and provide constructive criticism. That’s where she met Mary Stebbins Taitt, a fellow poet as well as a fine visual artist. “For River Song I had something in mind for the cover—a river flowing off into the distance, some hills or mountains, an expanse of sky, the sun. I asked Mary if she would be interested in creating an image for the cover, and she was very enthusiastic about it and incredibly generous with her time and talent,” Hochberg said.
Advance Praise for River Song
Advance praise for River Song from Pat Barnes, honorary chancellor of the Poetry Society of Michigan and author of the poetry collection Cup of Home:
“This book is about loss, about time, about the gift of a soulmate. Deborah Hochberg deftly weaves grief and the powerlessness to alter time with the treasures of friendship and cherished memories.”
The Author
Deborah Hochberg is from Detroit, Michigan, and a graduate of Wayne State University. She is the author of two collections of poetry entitled Waiting For the Snow (Mission Point Press, 2021) and Memory’s Reservoir (Mission Point Press, 2022). She is a member of the Detroit Poetry Salon.
The Illustrator
Mary Stebbins Taitt has an MFA from the Vermont College of Fine Arts and a master's degree in biology from Idaho State University. Her artwork has appeared in many publications and she has exhibited widely in Detroit, Michigan and at multiple venues in Syracuse, New York.
The Book
River Song and Other Poems
Deborah Hochberg
66 pages, 5.5 x 8.5 inches, B/W, illustrated by Mary Stebbins Taitt
Death, Grief, Loss, Women Authors, Motivational & Inspirational
ISBN: 978-1-965278-43-7, $14.95 (Softcover)
Mission Point Press, May 29, 2025
Copies are available for preorder at Bookshop.org, Amazon, and other online retailers. On its May 29 publication date, it will be available for purchase wherever books are sold. For information or to arrange for signings and events, contact the author at deborah450253@comcast.net.
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