Always Room for Interpretation

Always Room for Interpretation by Deborah Rasmussen is a collection of poems that reach back into childhood, linger in the present, and offer a brief glimpse of the future. They convey vivid memories, current experiences, and durable hopes, set in the context of nature both as wise companion and, often, challenging force. These poems explore realities of Rasmussen's own life, as well as the lives of her extended family, including immigrant grandparents. They are about determination, hard work, growth, loss and grief, but are never without the will to move forward. Resilience is at the heart of this collection, showing itself in the poet's heritage as well as the present as she and her husband face life with his cancer in all its complexities, yet looking forward with hope to the future. The collection includes new as well as previously published poems, some of which have earned recognition: Danish Dumplings took second place in the John & Helen Pappas Memorial Award competition, League of Minnesota Poets, 2016; Post-Pandemic won first place for poetry in the Lake Superior Writers annual writing contest, 2021; Under the Covers on New Year's Day was awarded second place, poetry, by The Talking Stick 31, 2022.