Just One Swallow is a sustained song, or scream, against silence, and complicity. In her debut collection, the reader finds poet Laura McCarty’s testament to the importance of communication.
A longtime resident of the Washington, DC, region, Laura P. McCarty’s creative work has appeared in The Rumpus, Lunch Ticket, descant, Jelly Bucket, the St. Petersburg Review, among other publications, including a family anthology of poetry My Mother, My Daughter, My Sister, My Self. She was a finalist for the 2020 D.C. Poet Project and a finalist for the 2016 Diana Woods Memorial Award in non-fiction. She earned a Bachelor of Journalism from the University of Texas, Austin, and her MFA from American University.
"A credit to the narrative tradition; and has no superior. Her debut book is astonishing reading." - Grace Cavalieri, Maryland Poet Laureate
“A splendid read.” - Elizabeth Hodges, editor/publisher of St. Petersburg Review
“A vessel for the silence one struggles to give voice to.” - E. Ethelbert Miller, host of On The Margin
“These poems dance with crisp imagery and graceful, well-crafted lines.” - Naomi Ayala, author of Calling Home: Praise Songs and Incantations
“McCarty’s poems are compelling and intriguing.” —Beth Joselow, author of Begin at Once