She was it, mainstay of my liturgy for 16.5 almost 17 years.” Myles lovingly cares for Rosie, filming her in an endless loop, she reads her poetry: (from the book)… “”I read for Rosie that night. Myles resisted the notion to put Rosie down, though towards the end of Rosie’s life Myles is naturally suffering tremendously along with Rosie. Whether readers are familiar with Myles writing style or poetry, Myles captures a sensitive unique flair and a meaningful creative writing combination she is recognized for.Ĭaring for an elderly incontinent dog-the endless cycle of washing and laundering is nearly impossible to keep up with. Moving from an imaginary talk show where Rosie is interviewed by Myles's childhood puppet, to a critical reenactment of the night Rosie mated with another pit bull from lyrical transcriptions of their walks, to Rosie's enlightened narration from the afterlife, Afterglow illuminates what happens to our identities when we dedicate our existence to a dog.Īfterglow (a dog memoir) written by celebrity poet Eileen Myles is a heartfelt loving tribute to Rosie, her Pitbull Terrier that lived for nearly 17 years. Through this lens, we examine Myles's experiences with intimacy and spirituality, celebrity and politics, alcoholism and recovery, fathers and family history, as well as the fantastical myths we invent to get to the heart of grief. Starting from the emptiness following Rosie's death, Afterglow (a dog memoir) launches a probing investigation into the dynamics between pet and pet-owner. Over the course of sixteen years together, Myles was devoted to the dog's wellbeing. In 1990, Myles chose Rosie from a litter on the street, and their connection instantly began to make an indelible impact on the writer's sense of self and work. This newest book paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a beloved confidant: the pit bull called Rosie. Prolific and widely renowned, Eileen Myles is a trailblazer whose decades of literary and artistic work 'set a bar for openness, frankness, and variability few lives could ever match' ( New York Review of Books).

Afterglow by Eileen Myles