Proof of Life
Poetry | Forthcoming October 2026
2026 Henry Morgenthau III Poetry Prize Winner
Proof of Life, winner of the 2026 Henry Morgenthau III First Book Poetry Prize for a poet 70 or older, is a poetry collection true to its title. Love, trauma, family, climate change, self-discovery and more ignite Kathy O’ Fallon’s poems.
For me, the phrase, ‘proof of life,’” says the poet, “evokes the danger of life being taken away, the risks we take to prove we are alive, and the hope of an afterlife. Poetry is a voice, a lyrical representation of life, a lifeline in my case, from the most personal to the most universal. A calm amidst the storm.
kathy o’Fallon
Renowned poet and Morgenthau contest judge Alicia Ostriker calls the book, “Philosophical, conversational, sharply observant. Proof of Life surges through a lifetime of energy, experience, and wisdom—everywhere a pleasure to read.”
Kathy O’Fallon describes herself as part observer, part detective. She is a psychologist who never expected to become one, but a prior career in a law office/library left her lonely for human connection. Meanwhile, she began writing fiction. Grad school, work, divorce and two toddlers kept her busy with real life too. A writer’s conference lured her into poetry after her mother’s death, and she put the prose behind. She has published several poetry chapbooks, including At Higher Elevations, Underbelly, When the Moon Spills Her Milk and Variations on a Theme of Love. Proof of Life is her first full-length collection of poetry. O’Fallon is a pen name which she finally legalized after trying several others, to protect the not-so-innocent.
Early in PROOF OF LIFE, in a poem called “What’s at Stake,” Kathy O’Fallon remarks, “Don’t we live on the same playground?” It’s true. Soon after, I savor the phrasing of “Land ahead, warns the lighthouse:/solid ground and graveyards,” a father depicted by “the slingshot of his tempers,” a remembered childhood scene containing “the pond and swans that look like churchyards,/frogs like gods.” Then comes the woman’s voice: “Everything’s the tango of love/hate if you live long enough.” At home there are piquant family portraits, love for music, dogs, horses, where “the nicker of a horse in the next field calls my name,” an unforgettable small granddaughter describing her “superpowers,” and the question, “How long till the well stops giving?” Philosophical, conversational, sharply observant, PROOF OF LIFE surges through a lifetime of energy, experience, and wisdom–everywhere a pleasure to read.
alicia ostriker
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