Etsy orders are signed and sent by the author.
SLEEPING WITH GHOSTS
POEMS & MUSINGS
by Jen Payne
Poetry / Memoir
5.5 x 8.5, Paperback, 182 pages
ISBN: 979-8-9901523-1-1
$20.00 (plus tax + shipping)
AN INTIMATE EXPLORATION OF LOVE, MEMORY, AND MEANING
Known for her meditations and musings about our outside world, Connecticut writer Jen Payne takes readers inside this time…into the heart and mind of a poet, where memories wander, hearts break, and ghosts appear in dreams. Those ghosts — her lovers, soulmates, and muses — reveal themselves slowly, one at a time, in this wistfully reflective, time-traveling memoir.
LEARN MORE
About the Author
Upcoming Events
WOW! Women on Writing Blog Tour
“About the Ghosts in Sleeping with Ghosts”
“The Artwork of Sleeping with Ghosts”
PRESS
“Sleeping with Ghosts’ Author Jen Payne: Sharing the Spirit of Poetry in Guilford” (Zip06)
WOW! Women on Writing Jodi Webb interviews Jen Payne
Some Thoughts: Everything Creativity – Interview with Kaecey McCormick
Power of Writing Through Poetry, Memories – Interview with Charity Howard
REVIEWS
Readers say Jen Payne is “a master at storytelling who brings us to the realization that the stories she shares are actually ours.” Her poems are “funny, sad, sexy, maddening”
Mari Carlson, US Review of Books
(Read the Original Review)
“Payne’s latest collection of poems, musings, and artwork is a bouquet of balloons—lovers, friends, and moments she could let slip away but that she keeps close through her writing about them. Grouped around seven (plus a final) ghost and a few intermediary themes, the poems are arranged and curated. Each section features a title page with artwork that spills over into the succeeding pages, creating both distinct moodscapes and an overarching synthesis. The poems are of a variety of lengths and styles. Few rhyme, some are one-hundred-word prose poems, and one about a necklace aptly curves down the page. Along with the whimsical illustrations, the song lyrics that several poems reference set an overall lively tone.
Although many poems are dedicated to someone specific, the people in the poems are unnamed. The subject matter of stars, ghosts, and dreams set the poems on an abstract plane, but they remain concrete by being located specifically in cities, bedrooms, houses, woods, and shared books. The poems give voice to letters never sent, connect people when in-person communication was lacking during the pandemic, and put words to elusive feelings hard to name in any clinical way.
In many of the ghost poems, lovers’ rendezvous are clandestine or fleeting. Likewise, the poems let readers into a delicate and secret balance between worlds. Like one poem about a dream lingering into wake-time, the collection is liminal, linking opposites: definite and indefinite, reality and fantasy, timeless and time-specific, and indescribable and descriptive. The final poem, dedicated to Payne’s father, crystallizes the collection’s intimate and loving atmosphere. She looks at her child self—hopeful, aspiring, tender—through her father’s eyes. So, too, the poems reflect back childlike wonder that enlivens and inspires.”
Judy Birke, former art critic for the New Haven Register and Art New England
“In this deeply moving and profoundly personal memoir of poems and musings that revisit the ghosts of lovers, soulmates and muses who have populated her life and dreams, Jen Payne makes us believe in the power and pain of love. Beautifully written and thoughtfully expressed, Payne’s irresistible voice will often make you hold back your tears, so heartbreakingly honest and bravely intimate is the storytelling. I read the book in a single sitting but often continue to reflect on its voice. And as a bonus, one can’t help but be encouraged to explore the meaning and messiness of one’s own life and to ponder the ghosts that haunt the complicated layers of our own existence.”
Judith K. Liebmann, Ph.D., Poet Laureate of Branford, Connecticut,
author of the poetry collection EKPHRASIS
“Sleeping with Ghosts, the deeply personal new collection of Jen Payne’s work, is introduced with a poem about Kintsugi, the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery in which the seams are decorated with lacquer mixed with gold or silver dust. As Payne explains in a note, the point is to honor the history of an object rather than to disguise its scars. In the poem, as in the entire collection, we are invited to examine, to touch, and to feel the gold-etched evidence of the poet’s own richly lived experience. Beautifully crafted and luminous, these poems take the reader on an intimate and unforgettable journey of love found and lost, the joys of creativity, and the power of memory.”
Mary O’Connor, author of
Say Yes! to Your
Creative Self and Passing Shadows
“Sleeping with Ghosts is not an ordinary ghost tale. Jen Payne’s combination of transparency and opaqueness teases the reader with sometimes wistful, other times gnawing, reflections on encounters with lovers and soulmates. Beautifully written with her captivating twist and cadence of words and endings, Jen’s latest collection of writings is a poignant meditation on a life of love confronted.”
Nancy Fitz-Hugh Meneely, author,
Letter from Italy, 1944
“The poems in Jen Payne’s Sleeping with Ghosts deal with all manner of the circumstances of love and its loss. It could be a sad book. But, as you might infer from the title, this poet is gifted with a sense of irony, catalogues the ghosts of relationships lost which visit her still with hard-earned honesty bereft of self-pity, wonderful imagery and, somehow, a lightness of touch. She describes with deft strokes more than her share of visiting ghosts. But she allows them their charms where deserved, and we are happy to travel the long- and near-past with her as she sheds one interesting character after another. We find ourselves not just admiring but also delighting in her as she moves through good times and hard with a poet’s kind of vision and language and a perspective equal parts wise and whimsical.”
Kaecey McCormick, writer,
Former Poet Laureate Cupertino, CA,
2023 Connecticut Poetry Award Winner
“What I love most about Sleeping with Ghosts is how it leaves room for each of us to find our own story within its pages. These poems don’t just tell Jen’s story—they remind us to revisit our own past, to honor our own scars, and maybe to find a bit of poetry there, too. Whether you’re someone who loves looking back with nostalgia or you’re more of a “move forward” type, there’s something here that speaks to the heart. If you’re ready to take a thoughtful, heartfelt stroll through memory and meaning, Sleeping with Ghosts is absolutely worth your time. Jen’s gentle but honest voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned.” (Read the full review)
Alicia Gomez, The Book Nook
Winter on the Shoreline Magazine, Shore Publishing (2024)
“Why it’s a winter must read: in its reflective tone and exploration of love, loss, and memory, this book is the perfect companion for nights when the mid mind wanders and the heart yearns for connection. Known for her work meditating on the external world, Jennifer Payne invites readers to look inward. In the wise and reflective collection, Sleeping with Ghosts, Payne creates and presents poems that reveal and introduce “ghosts,” bringing the reader “into the heart and mind of a poet.” Payne is the owner of Words by Jen, a creative services company based in Branford. She is a member of the Arts Council of Greater New Haven, the Gilford Art Center, and the New England Poetry Club.”
AMAZON & ETSY REVIEWS
Julie Heudorfer
I just finished reading Sleeping with Ghosts and what a beautiful work. It has a soul all its own, and it touched my heart. You share the human experience so exquisitely through your thoughtful and artful prose.
Catherine Nogas-Steinberg, LMFT, author Eating Chocolate & Watching the Moon
A GIFT FOR THE IMAGINATION AND INTRIGUE – Jen Payne’s Sleeping With Ghosts is an intimate and delightful account of her past lovers and musings. It raised my curiosity into my own loves and lovers over the years and how I might revisit the essence of what those relationships were about. As a relationship psychotherapist, I found this book to be a healing tool for those interested in revisiting their own “ghosts” from the past. I would highly recommend it!
Julie Fitzpatrick, author/poet, Church on the Screen
A COMPELLING READ – Jen Payne’s Sleeping with Ghosts is an evocative and gorgeously designed collection of poems. I time-traveled with Jen as she met ghosts of the past and was invited to revisit and heal some of my own as I read. I highly recommend this book!
Kaecey McCormick, A journey through past loves, family ties, and those little moments that stay with us
Sleeping with Ghosts takes us on a journey through past loves, family ties, and those little moments that somehow stay with us. And what’s working really well in the collection is how the speaker doesn’t shy away from vulnerability.
A good example of this is “Kintsugi,” the first poem, where the speaker invites us to trace the “golden trail” along the cracks of her experiences. It’s a beautiful metaphor for embracing scars as part of our stories. I found myself thinking about my own life’s “kintsugi,” and I think that’s part of what makes this collection special—it asks us to look at our own ghosts with a bit more compassion.
The book is filled with moments that feel so real and relatable. For instance, in the last poem, “Did You Love?,” the speaker reflects on childhood innocence and curiosity, asking if that openness managed to survive life’s hardships. It’s one of those poems that reaches out and reminds you to reconnect with the wonder you might’ve forgotten along the way.
Each section of the book is like a different chapter of memory, with its own “ghost” or theme. And each poem contributes to the building undercurrent of emotion and understanding of the character and their life. For example, in “Alice Falling,” we get a sense of surrender and adventure, with the speaker plunging down the rabbit hole, open to the unknown.
And there’s “Within the Confines,” which had me nodding along—it’s about breaking out of those little boxes we sometimes find ourselves in and choosing to live with more passion. Jen’s invitation to “get up on that dance floor” and live fully is both inspiring and, honestly, contagious!
What I love most about Sleeping with Ghosts is how it leaves room for each of us to find our own story within its pages. These poems don’t just tell Jen’s story—they remind us to revisit our own past, to honor our own scars, and maybe to find a bit of poetry there, too. Whether you’re someone who loves looking back with nostalgia or you’re more of a “move forward” type, there’s something here that speaks to the heart. And Jen’s gentle but honest voice will stay with you long after the last page is turned.
Dale Ann Clancy
This book is not only beautiful to look at the poems are amazing and it’s such a wonderful collaboration of art and words and I highly recommend
J.K. Luckenbach, Poems for all
The author is able to detail her past, present, and future in a series of deeply felt poems. While personal, the poems project lessons that all people can relate to. An inspiring and beneficial collection.
Laurel Valli, Magical poems of touching life memories
Beautiful flow of stories that allow you to feel the moments that support the musings of life and love experienced by the author. The words lead you down a path where you truly want to learn more about the experiences Jennifer had with these ghosts. Such a unique way to express the stories that fill our book of life.
T. J. Buckley (writer, artist, ‘zine creator): A Captivating Read
The latest offering from author Jen Payne is a truly captivating read. Once again, she shares her deepest thoughts and feelings about love and loss in a way that awakens memories of our own experiences. When such a connection happens, there is often an emotional reaction that invites one to say hello (and good-bye) to one’s own ghosts. Each Ghost gets a chapter, and there are many interesting graphic elements throughout the book. However, it is Payne’s ability to choose the right combination of words that seems to spur a spontaneous wave of retrospection, ultimately gifting the reader with a sense of redemption and release without feeling remorse. The evocative title and the pages that follow are simultaneously intriguing and therapeutic, allowing the reader to acknowledge that love may come and go but it’s impossible to forget how it felt as one remembers what was learned from it. Savor the poetic journey of a woman who put her heart out there and then dared to write about it. Sleeping with Ghosts is a spirited tribute to love.
Elise Vitale: A must read for sure!
Sleeping with Ghosts is captivating, each ghost equally intriguing. The author creatively and eloquently takes the reader through a journey of love and memories. Just the right amount of poetry, storytelling, and even some spice! A must read for sure!
WOW! WOMEN ON WRITING BLOG TOUR REVIEWS
Jodi Webb, WOW! Women on Writing
“It feels both extremely personal and universal. Despite the poems drawing on Payne’s experiences, many times I felt as if she had looked through a magic lens at my past relationships and emotions.”
Charity Howard, Chit Chat with Charity
“If you enjoy poetry I recommend picking up this book. A major thing I love about this poetry book is at the end of the book where the author added some special elements. She gives us some added information or insight into the poems. This divine information adds greatly to the energy and dynamic of this book. It is perfect allowing for an even better reading experience.”
Linda Schueler, author
“These are poems to savor, even when they are heartbreaking, whether Payne is writing about New Hampshire in 1992 (I can picture the hidden meadow of lupines, the strawberry moon, the breathtaking stars), a terminal romance in The Wrong Impression, or baking a cake in Real Plums, Imaginary Cake”…I appreciate that Payne not only writes about lovers but also about friendship, such as in the poems When the Mania Collapses in On Itself Again and Love They Neighbor as Thyself. I enjoyed meeting the ghosts Payne introduces in the memoir, and I think you will too.”
Beverley A Baird, writer
“A memoir in poetry is such a unique way to share memories, or ghosts.…Love fills its pages, and the words conjure intriguing images. There are so many special poems that I’m sure you will fall in love with, just as I did.”
Erin Al-Mehairi, Hook of a Book
“A beautiful collection of poems and writings that is a perfect example on how writing can be therapeutic. As you read through Jen’s prose and poetry memoir of love and loss, you’ll connect to many of these types of ghosts in your own lives, and possibly, it’ll help to heal you, too. The ghosts that haunt her are similar to those that haunt most all of us – first loves, muses, friends, family, secret encounters, and so on. Those special memories that tie together our lives and our souls.
Etsy orders are signed and sent by the author.
Three Chairs Publishing 