Writing

Writing is a kind of wrestling with the opacities of our own understanding, with the limits of the language we use. And like Jacob’s wrestling with the angel, it is done to win a blessing.  Pat Lowther, “A Kind of Wrestling,” ca. 1964-65.

I am a published author and poet with a PhD in Adult Education and expertise in music therapy. You can link to samples of my writing, below.

You can access my poetry profile here. You can access my poetry collection, some conditions apply, from Inanna Publications, your preferred bookseller, or your library.

Publications & Samples

Forthcoming

Rykov, M. and Yildiz, A. (Forthcoming Summer 2025). Tongue-Tied Talking, Writing Without Words: Literary Co-Translation with Refugee Writers. Cultural and Pedagogical Inquiry 17 (Voices of the Forcibly Displaced: Transition, Resettlement and Education). Pages TBA.

Blog Posts

Rykov, M. H. (16 August 2022). Reflections on Mentoring.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach (16 July 2021). COVID Kitty.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach (11 February 2020). Dandelions?

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (13 November 2019). What’s Your Score?

Published

Barrera, M..E., Rykov, M. H. & Doyle, S. L. (2002). The effects of interactive music therapy on hospitalized children with cancer: A pilot study. [research report] Psycho-oncology, 11, 379-388. 103 kb.

Murrant, G., Rykov, M., Amonite, D. & Loynd M. (2000). Creativity and self-care for caregivers. [program report] Journal of Palliative Care, 16(2), 44-49. 536 kb

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (Spring 2024). salt. [poem] Literary Review of Canada 12(3): 39.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach (2023). on not knowing. [erasure poem, “On Not Knowing Greek,” Virginia Woolf] Canadian Literature 253 [Poetics and Extraction 2]: 157-158.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2022). QWERTY (After Gertrude Stein’s Cat); Gertrude Stein’s Cat Naps Again (After John Cage, 4’33”). [poems] filling Station 79: 20-21.

Rykov, M. H. (2021). we’re all in this together. [poem] Contemporary Kanata: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Canadian Studies, 1: 37.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2020). Writing Race, Righting Racim. [review essay] The Caribbean Writer, 34: 559-562.

Rykov, M. (2020). The Void. [non-fiction essay] Write: Magazine of the Writers’ Union of Canada, 48(2): 23.

Rykov, M. (2020). some conditions apply. [poetry collection] Toronto: Inanna Publications.

Rykov, M. (2019). Dog-ate-my-homework syndrome and other tales from an academic editor. [op-ed] University Affairs, November 21.

Rykov, Mary H. Auerbach. (2019). writing prompt. [poem] Grain, 47(1): 71.

Rykov, Mary H. Auerbach. (2018). diethylstilbestrol (DES). [poem] In On Second Thought, edited by Meaghan Strimas and Priscila Uppal. Toronto: Mansfield Press, 77.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2018). Sowing SEED. [essay with images] Canadian Notes & Queries, 103, Fall: 53-55.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2018). some conditions apply. [poem] Feathertale Review, 22: 25.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2017). stories. [poem] Existere, 37(1): 84.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2017). take me home [poem] and Calypso Jews: Jewishness in the Caribbean Literary Imagination [review]. The Caribbean Writer, 31: 98 and 409-411.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2017). ‘Abyssinian Maid’. [memoir essay with images]. Canadian Notes & Queries (CNQ), 100: 33-36.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2017). Translation and Interpretation 101; invigilation. [2 poems] The Windsor Review, 50(1): 51-53.

Rykov, M. H. (17 October 2016). Group Therapy. [flash fiction] Crap Orgasm.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2016). My first job. [memoir essay with audio and images] Numéro Cinq, 7(7), July.

Rykov, M. H. Auerbach. (2016). Taraxacum officinale. [poem] Pulp Literature, 9(1), 128. 2017 Pushcart Prize nominee.

Rykov, M. H. (2015). Poem collectionArs Medica: A Journal of Medicine, The Arts, and Humanities, 10(2), 72–73, 87 kb.

Rykov, M. H. 2014. Puertorriqueña. [poem] The Caribbean Writer 28: 38-39. 2015 Charlotte and Isidor Paiewonsky Prize.

Rykov, M. H. (2013). Apple cake variations on a Palmerston Avenue theme. [poem] Literary Review of Canada 21(10), 16.

Rykov, M. H. (2013).  Tosca. [poem] Literary Review of Canada, 21(6), 17.

Rykov, M. H. (2012). Inquiry triptych. [essay with poems] In S. Stewart, S. Thomas & A. Cole. (Eds.) The art of poetic inquiry, (291–300). Halifax, NS: Backalong Books. 106 kb

Rykov, M. H. (2012). Making music therapy countEnsemble: Magazine of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, 38(1), 16. 53.6 kb

Rykov, M. H., Weeks, V., Cadrin, M.L., Pringle, A., Salmon, D. & Montgomery, E. (2012). Bibliography for music therapy in hospice palliative care: Canadian Virtual Hospice music therapy community bibliography wiki. Winnipeg and Toronto: Canadian Virtual Hospice. 147 kb

Rykov, M. H. (2008). Melodic-poetic representation: Research sings. [essay with song] Journal of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, 13(2), 160-170. 430 kb

Rykov, M. H. (2008). Experiencing Music Therapy Cancer Support. [research with images] Journal of Health Psychology, 13(2), 190-200. 1735 kb.

Rykov, M. H. (2007). Dear Mr. Rilke: An arts-informed contemplation. [creative non-fiction essay] The Arts in Psychotherapy, 34(4). 81.2 kb

Rykov, M. H. (2005). One size fits all, or what is music therapy theory for? [essay] Voices: A World Forum for Music Therapy. Released March 1.

Rykov, M. H. (2001). Facing the music: Speculations on the dark side of our moon. [essay] Journal of Palliative Care, 17(3), 188-192. 417.6 kb

Rykov, M. H. (2001). Insights from a Jewish hospice program. [essay] Canadian Journal of Music Therapy, 8(1), 64-74. 493 kb.

Conference Proceedings

Rykov, M. H., MacDonald, M. E., Cohen, S. R., Leis, A. (2007).  [research poster abstract] Qualitative Outcome Research of Palliative Care Music Therapy. In Verhoef, M. & Boon, H. (2007). Coming of Age: Emerging Issues and New Directions in CAM Research, Abstracts from the Fourth Annual IN-CAM Symposium November 2 & 3, 2007, Vancouver, Canada,” Journal of Complementary and Integrative Medicine: Vol. 4, Iss. 1, Article 9, pg. 31. Available at: http://222.bepress.com/jcimvol4/iss1/9. (5.5 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2006). Voicing the song of music therapy cancer support. Proceedings of the Canadian Association for Studies in Adult Education, pp. 191-196. (7.9 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2006). [poster abstract]. “Getting by with a little help from my friends” meets “When I’m sixty-four.” Journal of Palliative Care 22(3), 247. (4.8 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2005). Music, meaning and cancer support. [research paper]. 11th World Congress of Music Therapy, Brisbane, Australia, July 18-23. (Congress Handbook, p. 85)  www.musictherapyworld.de/modules/wfmt/stuff/music_therapy_05_handbook_2.pdf (2.6 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2005). The collective GIM journey: Variations on a GIM theme. [experiential workshop]. 11th World Congress of Music Therapy, Brisbane, Australia, July 18 – 23. (Congress Handbook, p. 42)  www.musictherapyworld.de/modules/wfmt/stuff/music_therapy_05_handbook_2.pdf (2.6 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2002). The lullaby group for pregnant and parenting teens. In J. Fachner & D. Aldridge (Eds.), Dialogue and Debate – Conference Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on Music Therapy, Pp. 1457-1478 (pdf pages 1485-1504), Witten: MusicTherapyWorld.net Oxford2002.pdf. (133.1 kb) (9.6 MB)

Rykov, M. H. (2002). Sick mode, dying mode: Music therapy in the continuum of cancer treatment. In J. Fachner & D. Aldridge (Eds.), Dialogue and Debate – Conference Proceedings of the 10th World Congress on Music Therapy, Pp. 1479-1487 (pdf pages 1501-1513), Witten:MusicTherapyWorld.net Oxford2002.pdf. 5.8 MB) (8.4 MB)

Rykov, M. (1985). A case in point: The use of creative music education in music therapyProceedings of the Eleventh Annual Conference of the Canadian Association for Music Therapy, 1984, 6 (22-28). (25 MB)