Poet, Writer, Educator
A native of the Hudson Valley in upstate New York, Catherine lives with the wildlife and changing seasons.
—New Releases—
Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself
Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself is a collection of poems in five sections. “Once Upon a Time” deals with childhood and coming of age through a reimagining of fairy tales. “Love is Dangerous” navigates the fault lines and terrain of loving. “Romancing the Other” explores the lineage and consequences of addiction. “A Double-Edged Sword” focuses on the nature of duality in ourselves and others. And finally, “New Skin” illustrates the resolution of conflicts the poet has experienced as a daughter, wife, ex-wife, lover, friend, and woman on her journey to a home within herself. The poems carry a universal theme of vacancy or hollowness as well as a yearning and search to arrive at wholeness. Last Evening With All the Versions of Myself is Arra’s tenth collection of poetry and revisits many themes and challenges she’s addressed in previous collections but now brings them to a place of personal acceptance and serenity.
$22.99 from Finishing Line Press, 2026
Perennial Cosmology
The poems in Perennial Cosmology were written over the past two years as my partner and I lived through his cancer diagnosis, treatment, remission, and the four seasons. This became what defined the structure of our life and the place we live. While sequencing the poems, it became apparent to me that the life-death cycle in nature and in everyday living is the abode for the poems. Our bodies are also abodes that influence how we see and interact with each other, our communities, and the world. There are poems about love, loss, grief, recovery, and gratitude; about marginalized folks, political victims, and joyful reunions—all in the cultural-societal abode we collectively share.
$13 from dancing girl press, 2026
The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead
The Razor Tip of an Arrowhead is a collection of fourteen photographs by Alex Stolis and fourteen poems by Catherine Arra with a few poems cowritten by both. Each poem or photo could easily stand alone. Each conveys an emotional gravity that pulls the reader or viewer into imagination and story. Together they create a uniquely powerful and visceral art that offers a layered experience.
$18 from Dos Madres Press, 2026
Recent Titles
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Solitude, Tarot & the Corona Blues
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Deer Love
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Her Landscape, Poems Based on the Life of Mileva Marić Einstein
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(Women in Parenthesis)