Losing a loved one to suicide is an experience that shatters the heart and leaves wounds that are difficult to heal. The grief is layered with confusion, guilt, unanswered questions, and a painful sense of absence that can feel overwhelming. Unlike other forms of loss, suicide often brings with it a heavy weight of questions that may never fully be answered. This makes the process of healing even more complex, as survivors struggle not only with sorrow but also with the ache of uncertainty.
In this painful journey, writing, whether in the form of poetry or journaling, can offer a small measure of peace. Putting thoughts into words allows feelings too heavy to carry silently to find a place outside the body.
Journaling provides a private space to release anger, sadness, or regret without judgment, while poetry can transform grief into expression that captures the depth of love and pain. Writing does not erase the loss, but it can soften the edges of suffering by offering clarity and reflection. Over time, this practice can help survivors hold their loved one’s memory with tenderness, while gradually finding moments of light and resilience within the darkness of grief.
In recognition of September being National Suicide Prevention Month, the Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas will host an open house and book launch for local poet and author Cyra Sweet Dumitru.
A former volunteer at CBCST and a survivor of suicide loss, Dumitru has just published a memoir called Words Make a Way Through Fire: Healing After My Brother’s Suicide through She Writes Press with distribution by Simon & Schuster.
Told through poetry and prose, Words Make a Way Through Fire is an intimate memoir of a woman shattered by witnessing her eldest brother’s suicide when she was a teenager.
It traces her creative journey of recovery and healing, with poetry and journal writing as constant companions. During this journey, Dumitru experiences a transcendent, loving presence called "Voice" who guides and helps her image spiritual wholeness.
Dumitru studies poetry as craft and as medicine, ultimately becomes a poet with multiple published books, an award-winning instructor of writing at St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, and one of four certified practitioners of poetic medicine in Texas, leading therapeutic writing circles locally.
Attendees of her upcoming open house and book launch will be able to tour and learn about the healing aspects of the therapeutic expressive arts practiced at the Center.
Dumitru will read excerpts from her memoir that focus upon writing as healing, and her volunteer experience with children at CBCST who are survivors of suicide loss.
When: Sunday, September 14th 11:30 AM - 1:00 PM
Where: Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas 205 W Olmos St, San Antonio, TX 78212
Books will be available for purchase on site through the Twig Book Shop with proceeds from book sales being donated to CBCST.
Guest:
Cyra Sweet Dumitru is a San Antonio based author and poet. For almost 20 years she has taught poetry writing, composition, and writing as wellness courses at St. Mary's University in San Antonio, Texas. She is also a Certified Poetic Medicine Practitioner, through The Institute for Poetic Medicine.
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This interview will be recorded live Thursday, September 11, 2025.
