Marge Piercy is widely acknowledged as a gifted and significant poet, novelist, and essayist. Her poetry has received extensive critical praise, and her feminist novels, particularly Woman on the Edge of Time, have been embraced as research topics by scholars in a broad range of disciplines. She has also acquired a loyal following among the feminist reading public who appreciate her woman-centered themes. Her work has been represented in more than 200 anthologies, periodicals, and scholarly journals, and she has enjoyed global popularity through works that have been translated into a number of foreign languages. This bibliography aims to include annotated entries for all published English-language materials written by or about Marge Piercy, beginning with her first poem published in 1956, through her latest novel, City of Darkness, City of Light, published in 1996, and a new collection of poetry, What are Big Girls Made of?, to be published in 1997. The range of entries includes print as well as electronic sources for works of fiction and poetry, poetry readings, essays, interviews, criticism, theses and dissertations, and reviews. The entries are organized in sections on Works by Piercy, Works about Piercy, and Other Sources, which includes interviews, multimedia, and a manuscript collection. Works by Piercy are arranged chronologically, and annotations for her novels and poetry collections include publication history. Entries for poetry collections list the contents of each volume. Works about Piercy are arranged alphabetically by author. The volume includes an appendix listing all of Piercy's published poems with citations for sources in which they appear. A comprehensive index lists subjects, authors, and titles.

Patricia Doherty looked deeply into people, nature, events, and herself. She knew whether beauty was intrinsic or superficial, and understood the complexities and contraditions of human nature, which she chronicled in the Dismas Shaunnesey Mysteries and Visitations of Grace. In her poems she reflected on life: the joys, the sorrows, the humor, the irony, the goals, the frustrations, and looked to make sense of them. They surprise us, as they surprised her, with their glimpses into and beyond our world.

Just when you thought it was safe to go back to church ... Thwarted in her desire to live in San Francisco, an ambitious woman decides to make a splash in bucolic Santa Marta. She needs allies in fighting a planned rehab center near her posh new home, and, egged on by a status-hungry friend, finds them at St. Francis Church, pastored and loved by Father Dismas Shaunessey. The lovely newcomer quickly establishes herself in the parish, with its hallowed traditions, and begins creating havoc. She underestimates, however, the deep emotional currents in the parish. As a result of her arrogance and despite Father Dismas's best efforts, events spin out of control. Without the camouflage of comforting traditions, parishioners must face their own demons, and some aren't equal to the task. Murder transforms the parish into a bleak war zone, but with a mixture of Irish intuition and spiritual insight Father Dismas unmasks the face of evil.

"The death of those people has nothing to do with me " Ellie Madsen longed to believe that, but what else could explain the attempts on her life? She was afraid, and though she knew the fear was separating her from a lost love, she was powerless to break free. It took the searing honesty of a desperately lonely teenager and the good sense of a maddeningly Irish priest to thrust her past her own emotional upheaval and into the cold light of reality. She wouldn't enjoy the fruits of the struggle, however, until she stopped trusting the one she wanted to love. If she faltered in this, she would die: it was as simple as that.

What was really wrong with Peter's mother-in-law? How did it feel for a crippled man to be hauled out of bed by well-meaning friends, manhandled up to the top of a house, and dropped through a hole in the roof? What led up to their healings, and what transformations occurred because of encounters with Jesus Christ? I wanted to know about the people who appear in the Gospels just long enough to be touched by him. What were their stories? To find out, I had to write them, and the result was Visitations of Grace. Jesus himself knew that people love to hear stories, and to this day that hasn't changed. Our understanding of the Bible is enriched when we can identify with the flesh-and-blood human beings whose lives fill its pages. The stories in Visitations of Grace involve the transformations of ordinary people, such as those of the head steward at Cana, the man living with the Samaritan woman, and a Roman soldier stationed in Jerusalem.

Father Peter Schimmel regretfully resigns a beloved pastorate to pull the bishop's chestnuts out of the fire in a troubled and resentful parish. He soon finds himself embroiled in a battle for the minds - and bodies - of the homeless teens that shelter in the town. Only after murder strikes close to home and the boy he loves like a son disappears does he comprehend the depth of the malice he is facing. Enlisting the help of his friend Father Dismas Shaunessey, he is finally able to come to terms with the forces of evil at work in seemingly peaceful Beluga Point as well as in his own heart.