Miller''s Basement

About the Book

Miller’s Basement, the thing about grief, is the second poetry book by author Alice Bailey Nervig, under her pseudonym of A.W. Bailey. The book relates the stories of the sudden death of her mother, Jean Wilson Bailey, South Dakota artist, and the death of her father, Theodore Mead Bailey Jr., attorney and law professor, four years later. Written in free verse style, the book interprets the way we deal with both unexpected death of a parent, and illness with subsequent death of an elderly parent. The final section of the book focuses on acceptance of death and grief, and turning towards life again. Although it is written specifically about an adult child’s loss of parents, the universal feelings of grief, loss, confusion, and love make this poetry book a story for anyone undergoing the death of a loved one.

About the Author

Alice Bailey Nervig was born and raised in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. She has a degree from Black Hills State University in English literature and history. She and her husband Mark moved to Spokane Washington in 1978. She has two sons, Luke and Spencer. Her previous book, Fall Back Up, Surviving Traumatic Brain Injury, is the story of her son’s Luke’s head injury and recovery. She currently works for the state of Washington, and writes in her spare time.