Author Jill Bialosky Discusses ‘The End Is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother’ at The Church

On Mother’s Day weekend, Jill Bialosky, acclaimed editor and writer of “History of a Suicide” and “Poetry Will Save Your Life,” comes to The Church in Sag Harbor on Saturday, May 10, at 4 p.m. to discuss her latest publication, “The End Is the Beginning: A Personal History of My Mother.” This profoundly moving elegy is a brave and compassionate examination of the life and death of Bialosky’s mother, told in reverse order from burial to birth.

“The End Is the Beginning” begins with Iris Yvonne Bialosky’s death in an assisted-care facility on March 29, 2020 — an event compounded by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic, which prevented Bialosky from being with her mother in her final moments and kept her from attending her funeral. Bialosky then takes readers on a journey backward through time, exploring the many nuances of Iris’s life in ways that are simultaneously celebratory, elegiac, and probing. The book is a poignant reminder that we are all the sum of our experiences and illuminates Iris as a multidimensional, fascinating woman who raised four daughters on her own.

After reading from the book, Bialosky will be joined in conversation by Sheri Pasquarella. The Church’s executive director, to discuss the impetus for the memoir, illuminate audiences to the stylistic choice of reverse storytelling, and more. The floor will then be open to questions from the audience. Following the program, there will be a book signing with the author. The event commemorates the book’s release from Washington Square Press on May 6, 2025.

Jill Bialosky is the author of five acclaimed collections of poetry, most recently “Asylum.” Her poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, and The Atlantic, among others. She is the author of many novels, including “The Deceptions,” and several works of nonfiction. In 2015, Jill was honored by the Poetry Society of America for her distinguished contribution to the field of poetry. She lives in New York City and Bridgehampton.

Tickets to the talk are $10 (members $5) at thechurchsagharbor.org. The Church is at 48 Madison Street in Sag Harbor.