Detour: A Side Trip Through Chemotherapy and Poetry evolved from 9 months of emails as the author entered the world of Stage IIIB cancer treatment. Starting on her first day in chemotherapy, she describes the process with keen observation and some humor, delving into an arsenal that includes religion, philosophy and nature. Written for friends and family (about eighty got her daily missives), these emails started out as a way to calm them down and keep them updated on her progress. Using denial as a shield, she eventually segues into reflections on the unexpected impact of cancer on her life, and then into the surprising comfort of poetry. A year later, someone suggested her positive experience might make a useful book.