“What else is a poem to do but give voice to what we can’t speak of? In his brilliant and deeply moving debut, Conaway somehow creates a postmodern, penal version of Masters’ Spoon River Anthology. It’s been debated whether poetry makes anything happen. The players in this book don’t give a damn. Though they wade into the fray of hurt minds and savaged bodies to expand the world we’ve permitted ourselves to see, the book’s unflinching gaze ultimately is about mercy and forgiveness.”
Todd Davis, author of In the Kingdom of the Ditch
“For those who fear poetry, namely for its potential lack of coherency, narrative, or obvious purpose, here is an entry point. Each realism- burning tale is an urn painted in succinct, sonnet- like revelatory turns.”
Kevin Kvas, Ottawa Arts Review
“Until You Make the Shore reminds me of the ironies of justice and of the fine line between injustice and punishment. Where many contemporary poets shrink in the face of pain and heartache, Conaway dares us to come close to not only see but also to discover the young women whose freedom to use language defies their incarceration. These are contemporary poems in the finest sense: urgently necessary, capable of breaking your heart even while healing you because they are poems of hope and freedom. These unforgettable stories in this untraditional telling will remain with the reader forever.”
Patricia Jabbeh Wesley, author of Where the Road Turns

