Rilke Was Right
How Are You?
Wearing the Mask
[Read by Kathleen Fitzpatrick]
When W.F. Lantry’s wife, Kate, was diagnosed with triple negative breast cancer in April 2022, she asked him to write one poem a day, to chronicle her journey. He’s kept it up through all the biopsies and ultrasounds, two courses of chemo, surgery and at this writing the beginning of radiation. The first volume of these poems, The Cancer Diaries – Book One: Flood Warning appeared in January 2023. His other poetry collections are The Terraced Mountain (Little Red Tree 2015), The Structure of Desire (Little Red Tree 2012), winner of a 2013 Nautilus Award in Poetry, and The Language of Birds (2011). He received his PhD in Literature and Creative Writing from the University of Houston. Honors include the National Hackney Literary Award in Poetry, CutBank Patricia Goedicke Prize, Crucible Editors’ Poetry Prize, Lindberg Foundation International Poetry for Peace Prize (Israel), Comment Magazine Poetry Award (Canada), Paris/Atlantic Young Writers Award (France), Old Red Kimono Paris Lake Poetry Prize and Potomac Review Prize. His work has appeared widely online and in print. He is the editor of Peacock Journal.
Kathleen Fitzpatrick, a coloratura soprano with an extensive sacred repertoire, performs regularly as a liturgical musician and soloist in the Washington, DC area. As a soloist and chorister in the critically acclaimed Slavic Mosaic, a 12-member a capella vocal ensemble, she sang classical and folk Slavic music as well as Orthodox liturgical music. Appearing as featured vocalist, she has sung the Rutter Requiem, Poulenc Gloria, and Fauré Requiem with choir, and has appeared as Despina in Mozart’s Così Fan Tutte. She holds a Master of Music degree in Vocal Performance from Catholic University of America.