Begin I must

In Begin I must: The Journey, Rhonda Liss, a retired educator and celebrated opera singer, crafts a luminous poetry collection that traces her path to resilience and renewal. Through three evocative sections-Facing the Darkness, Reckoning and Transforming, and Emergence and Renewal-Liss weaves intimate reflections on life’s challenges, the wisdom of aging, and the pursuit of hope. Her poems, from the introspective Between Dreams and Sleep to the uplifting Museum of Happiness, celebrate nature’s healing power and envision a brighter future with lyrical grace. Drawing from her journey along Boston’s streets to Sarasota’s shores, Liss invites readers to find strength and beauty in transformation. Perfect for fans of Maya Angelou and Mary Oliver, this debut resonates with those seeking inspiration and joy, offering a testament to the enduring human spirit.

Author Biography

Rhonda Liss has enjoyed three diverse careers. She began on the opera, concert, cabaret, and musical theatre stage, singing with the chorus at the Metropolitan Opera, Carnegie Hall, and Radio City Music Hall. She was a soloist at the Netherlands Opera for 14 years, where she played Mrs. Sedley in Peter Grimes. At the Brooklyn Academy of Music, she appeared as Mrs. Alexander in Philip Glass’s Satyagraha, which she recorded for CBS. She also performed in London’s West End as a soloist, producer, and writer with The Heartache and Sorrow Show and A Canary Called Quintessence, and appeared as Madame Giry in the Toronto company of Phantom of the Opera, directed by Hal Prince. In addition, she has written and performed numerous solo cabarets in New York and Sarasota.Her second career was as a professor of English as a Second Language at the City University of New York. She is the author of two textbooks for Oxford University Press, including Effective Academic Writing: The Researched Essay.In her “third act,” she is writing, acting, and producing. She has contributed to the production of the Hamptons’ Summer Cabaret by the Sea, performed at the Venice Theater in Florida, and appeared in Love Letters in Sarasota. She also writes and performs with the Mark Twain Society, most recently in Fork in the Road: The Dutch Experiment.Begin I Must is her first book of poetry. Marea Saldarriaga is a designer, illustrator, and author with over twenty years of experience shaping stories through visual and written expression. She is the author and illustrator of Healing Our World: Flourishing Years Ahead and a contributor to Rhonda Liss’s poetry collection Begin I Must: The Journey, where she designed the book, illustrated it with watercolor geode-crystals, and created its cover. Marea holds an MA in Design and Branding Strategy from Brunel University (UK) and a BA in Graphic Design from Universidad Iberoamericana (Mexico). She lives in Sarasota, Florida.