Arcadia University Access Services and Outreach Librarian and Professor Dr. Michelle Reale, who is also a member of Arcadia’s English department, teaching poetry in the Creative Writing MFA program, marked a new milestone in her writing career with the publication of her 11th poetry collection, “Let It Be Extravagant,” released by Bordighera Press.

This collection tackles tradition, innocence, and hard-earned experience in a rapidly changing world. Reale’s writing portrays a place in which the reader is able to see the value of where we come from, while simultaneously embracing everyday life.

“So many of the poems contain some elements of grief and all of the ways it manifests itself in a life, loneliness as a result of it, and letting go,” Reale explained. “But I want the collection to be able to speak to the transcending of all of those things, too. The collection is very honest and feels very close to the bone to me.”

The poems depict the lines between memory and desire, time and timelessness, and the real and imagined world. 

“I hope people recognize, especially the younger among us, that life will show you many, many things, and you may not be prepared for them, but that is just the nature of life,” said Reale. “I want people to understand that as adults, we may be far away from our younger selves in terms of years, but certainly not in emotions.”

With 11 other poetry collections under her belt, Reale is no stranger to the power the art form can have.

“Above all, I want people to understand that poetry is a beautiful medium for expressing literally every kind of emotion and experience, and bringing it to the reader as a common experience: yes, I have gone through that too, but I’ve come out on the other side.”