From poems about transformation and forgiveness to pieces inspired by New Mexico, Mexico, travel, animals, love, spirituality, and human behavior, “The Monkey Tree” moves naturally between laughter and seriousness. Its poems invite a wider audience to meet Heeney’s mischievous monkey, travel through her landscapes, and reflect on the same questions of love, identity, creativity, and inner transformation. The collection travels through Cochiti Lake and New Mexico, Mexico, Carmel Valley and California, Maui and Hawaii, Liberia in West Africa, San Francisco, Marin County, and other meaningful locations. Her professional work included serving communities of Mexican farmworkers, while her personal life kept her closely connected to photography, poetry, nature, and the visual arts. That is why her poetry can speak to experienced poetry readers and newcomers alike.