Pragmatic words of advice from a poet with heart disease.

Jen Hyde's surgery implanted a new heart valve. And a seed of inspiration. Shortly before starting a graduate program, Jen was diagnosed with a serious condition stemming from a congenital heart defect. She needed immediate heart surgery, endangering the start of her creative writing studies. Ironically, the event that threatened her work turned out to be a powerful professional catalyst, inspiring her the lyrical memoir that is a finalist for the 2016 Creative Capital grant in literature. Jen Hyde's poetry is lyrical and dreamlike, but her tips for heart disease survivors are clear, down-to-earth and, above all, wise.