The poems in A Portrait To Paint celebrate two journeys: the career in New York City that Andréa Suarez Hill had in print, broadcast and photo journalism until 1987; as well as the life she and her husband made when they moved to Down East Maine and created a salt water farm on a bay near the ocean. The poetry reflects these two very different rural and urban lifestyles.
The section titled “We,” as a metaphor for the family of man, captures daily news from across the globe: climate change, social injustice, the Covid pandemic, political issues and more.
In the chapter titled “You,” Suarez-Hill writes about her relationships with horses, wild animals, people and places both in New York and Maine.
The last part of the book, “Me,” expresses her inner world, feelings about aging as well as about her childhood, family and friends. A reader feels the wonder Andréa Suarez Hill experiences across the years wherever she lives and looks.
Andréa Suarez Hill grew up in New England. She had a career in print, broadcast, and photo journalism in New York City until 1987, when she moved to Maine. She is an accomplished horse woman who enjoys the salt water farm she and her husband created together. They spent years shoeing horses in eastern Maine. The unique Down East culture, nature and the sea influence her poetry as does her career in journalism. This book celebrates both journeys.