In Ann Grogan’s dynamic and richly layered debut collection Used Envelopes, Grogan weaves a narrative of celebration: of aging, music, political activism, poetry, and of life itself. A retired lawyer and pianist living vibrantly in her 80s, Grogan’s hunger for a life fully lived is explored in each of her beautifully wrought poems.
In her poem “Amazement”, Grogan seeks to understand fulfillment with a delicacy displayed in masterful internal rhyming:
Time will tell, give all things
and take away in cosmos time,
not mine. The more we pine,
the farther things move away
from our wants, burning or just started;
martyred we, upon those coals of hot desire.
Influenced by Mary Oliver, Emily Dickinson, and Edna St.Vincent Millay, her three “goddesses”, Grogan’s infuses her poems in brightness and beauty, lambasts ageism, political apathy and injustice, and calls out into the world with passion, curiosity, and joy.
--Meghan Sterling, Author of Sick Letters from the Lovebed (Small Harbor Publishing)
Used Envelopes is a carefully crafted celebration of age and rage. There is no doubt about what Grogan means to say, and her poetry refuses to lean on pretty words to disguise the point. Rebelliously joyful, Used Envelopes is a testament to the magic of the feminine, past and future, with all the confident vigor of a white-haired woman drinking an apple martini on a city terrace simply because she can. I will follow Ann Grogan’s name anywhere.
--Leah Skay, Poetry Editor of The Bloomin’ Onion
Used Envelopes is a collection that skillfully utilizes intertextuality, extended metaphor, and Ann Grogan’s iconic wit to challenge the expectations placed on aging and identity. From piano lessons, to her passions for poetry, Grogan doesn’t shy away from telling you exactly who she is and what she wants. This collection encourages readers to do the same while stressing the importance of remaining open to possibility at every “stage” of life.
--Amelia Riley, poet and editor of Whims of the Wilderness
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Ann Grogan is a joyful octogenarian, pianophile, and retired lawyer who lives in San Francisco, CA. Her writing promotes the unequivocal permission to pursue one’s passions at any age. Her poems have appeared in Querencia, Amethyst Review, The Prairie Review, Dissent Voice, and Writers Resist, among others. Her poem “Used Envelopes” was nominated by the editors of Bloomin’ Onion for “Best of the Net 2026” (Sundress Press). She was named a semifinalist for The Writing Salon’s 2025 Jane Underwood Poetry Prize and for Leftie Blondie’s chapbook competition. Find Ann at rhapsodydmb.com.