Poet's Wedding Day Shattered by Friend's Death, Then Rushdie Attack

The new memoir from poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths is shaped by two traumatic events: the sudden death of her best friend and the near-fatal attack on her husband, author Salman Rushdie. On the night before her 2021 wedding to Rushdie, Griffiths grew worried. Her best friend, poet Kamilah Aisha Moon, was not answering her phone. Moon was supposed to read a poem at the ceremony. During the wedding reception the next day, Griffiths learned the terrible news. Moon had died alone at home. The cause was unknown. Griffiths collapsed, hit her head, and lost consciousness. This loss began a difficult decade for the 47-year-old author. It started with the death of her mother, who taught her to value independence above all else. Her memoir, "The Flower Bearers," explores this period of profound grief and violence.