About the book

About the Authors 

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Joan Barasovska lives in Chapel Hill, NC. She co-hosts a poetry series at Flyleaf Books and serves on the Board of the North Carolina Poetry Society. Joan’s poems have appeared in Kakalak, San Pedro River Review, Madness Muse Press, Red Fez, Speckled Trout Review, and Main Street Rag. Birthing Age (Finishing Line Press, 2018) is her first book of poetry. In 2020 Joan was nominated for both Best of the Net and a Pushcart Prize.

Sam Barbee has a new collection, Uncommon Book of Prayer (2021, Main Street Rag).  His previous poetry collection, That Rain We Needed (2016, Press 53), was a nominee for the Roanoke-Chowan Award as one of North Carolina’s best poetry collections of 2016.  He received the 59th Poet Laureate Award from the North Carolina Poetry Society for his poem “The Blood Watch”; and is a Pushcart nominee.

Dorothy Barrow was born in Zebulon, NC and loved to write from an early age. She graduated from Wakelon high school at 16 and from Duke University at 20. She wrote her college senior paper, thoughtfully, about the strengths and weaknesses of Mormonism. A longtime moderate Democrat, she registered as a Republican two decades ago because she realized the country was becoming too lax, too liberal, and was not valuing daily work. She hopes for the return of the principles and values our country was built upon.

Frederick W. Bassett is a retired academic who lives near son Jonathan and his family in Greenwood SC. His poems have appeared widely in anthologies and journals, including Negative

Capability, Zone 3, Mudfish, Slant, Yemassee, Illuminations, Poem, Pembroke Magazine, Passager, The Cape Rock, and Timberline Review. His latest collection of poems is The Old Stoic Faces the Mirror, Revised and Expanded, 2019. He also has two novels, South Wind Rising and Honey from a Lion.

Marcie Behm-Bultz is a population scientist and demographer whose writing is based in human geography and exotic locations. Marcie’s literary work has been featured in publications such as the BorderLines Anthology, multiple Old Mountain Press anthologies, The Deadly Writers Patrol Anthology, the Catfish Stew annual magazine, and the SC Writer’s Association Petigru Review. She is a 2018/2019 Pushcart Prize nominee and a member of the CSRA/Savannah River Poets.  She resides in Vienna, Austria.

Kerri Habben Bosman is a writer in Chapel Hill, NC. She is a graduate of Peace College and North Carolina State University. Her work has been included in the News and Observer and regularly appears in publications throughout the US and Canada.

Harry Brown holds degrees in English from Davidson College, Appalachian State University, and Ohio University; and taught English at Eastern Kentucky University for over forty years.  He has published six poetry collections and co-edited an anthology of Kentucky writing.  His two latest collections are Felt Along the Blood:  New and Selected Poems and In Some Households the King Is Soul (Wind Publications).  Harry lives with his wife Alice in Burlington, NC.

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Annie Chambers was born into a poor family, but was given a chance by a blind neighbor lady. Annie was an average student until she found that she could express through writing. She moved up the business ladder from stock girl to marketing vice-president as her skills were discovered. She enjoys everyday and all her gentleman callers who bring her presents.

Kenneth Chamlee (Mills River, NC) is Professor of English Emeritus at Brevard College. He has two prize-winning chapbooks, Absolute Faith and Logic of the Lost, and his poems have appeared in The North Carolina Literary Review, Cold Mountain Review,  Ekphrasis, and many others.  He regularly teaches in the Great Smokies Writing Program.

Steve Cushman is a writer living in Greensboro, NC.  He has published three novels and a poetry collection, How Birds Fly, winner of the Lena Shull Book Award.  When not writing, Steve can be found chaperoning a bunch of Boy Scouts around the North Carolina mountains or chasing Lili, his pit bull mix, up and down the streets of Westerwood.

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Polly Davis retired from Fayetteville Technical Community College where she chaired the English Department and later served as Director of Research and Planning. She received her bachelors and masters degrees from the University of Georgia and doctorate from North Carolina State University. Her memoir Stumbling Toward Enlightenment was published in 2015. Plants and animals are her passion. She lives with husband Tom in Sylva, NC, and wishes they’d gotten there years before. Polly’s submission is from her memoir.

Tom Davis’ publishing credits include Poets Forum, The Carolina Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, The Fayetteville Observer’s Saturday Extra, A Loving Voice Vol. I and II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN PLAIN SIGHT program for 2013 & 2021. He’s authored several books. Tom has completed his memoir, The Most Fun I ever Had With My Clothes On A March from Private to Colonel. He lives in Webster, NC. Tom’s submission is from his memoir.

Nancy Jo Dederer grew up in the Sylvania, OH, and spent many summers at YMCA Storer Camps in MI. She is a Presbyterian pastor currently serving a church in Lexington, NC.  While most of her writing is for sermons, Nancy’s essay, Late Night Hosts, You’ve Got Nothin’ on Us Pastors! is about pastoring during the pandemic and was recently published in the Presbyterian Outlook magazine.  Nancy lives in Greensboro, NC.

Robert Demaree is the author of four book-length collections of poems, including Other Ladders, published in 2017 by Beech River Books. His poems have received first place in competitions sponsored by the Poetry Society of New Hampshire and the Burlington Writers Club. Bob’s poems have appeared in over 150 periodicals including Cold Mountain Review and Louisville Review. A retired school administrator, Bob resides in Wolfeboro, NH, and Burlington, NC.

Nancy Dillingham’s latest works include Like Headlines: New and Selected Poems and the chapbooks Revelation, I Can’t Breathe, and Vantages.  She lives in Asheville, NC.

SANDRA Dillingham’s work has appeared in Victoria Press and the anthology It’s All Relative: Tales from the Tree from 50 WNC Women.  Sandra was the editor of Haywood Press at Haywood Community College for five years.  Sandra lives in Asheville, NC.

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Kathy Ellis was often nagged by the universe to pick up the poetry pen. Decades later and just seven years ago, Kathy listened to her internal whims.  To Kathy’s surprised delight, she received immediate success for her wacky poetry and has published two books listed on Amazon. In Kathy’s real life, she is an ESL language coach and a cross-cultural communication trainer. Kathy is a Motown girl that resides in Atlanta with her two multilingual cats.

Terri Kirby Erickson is the author of six collections of poetry, including A Sun Inside My Chest (Press 53), winner of the 2021 International Book Award for Poetry. Her work has appeared multiple times in “American Life in Poetry,” and in The Sun, The Writer’s Almanac, Valparaiso Poetry Review, and numerous other literary journals and anthologies. Her awards include the Joy Harjo Poetry Prize and a Nautilus Silver Book Award. She lives in Pfafftown, NC.

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Lynn Farmer, Decatur, GA, has had poetry readings in Philadelphia and in Teaneck, NJ, as well as at Atlanta’s Callanwolde Arts Center and elsewhere in Georgia. She has won the Byron Reece Award and the Chattahoochee Valley Prize, as well has the Warren Prize from the Academy of American Poets in NYC. Her work has appeared in many journals, and her collection, The Rare, Persistent Light, was the winner of the Charles Dickson Chapbook Award.

Dena M. Ferrari is a regular contributor to OMP, Dena’s poetry are featured in Westchester Community College of NY Phoenix (1975), Writers Alliance Poets World-Wide  anthologies has many of her published works. Dena’s own books, Poems From the Hearth (2010) Come Closer My Dearies (2013), Charmed Times Three (2015), and her newest book Wyld Earth Magick (2018) shows diversified writing styles, leaving a Living Legacy for her grandchildren. She and her husband, Peter live in Vass, NC.

Peggy Dugan French is a California girl with Minnesota roots. She has been the editor of the small print zine Shemom since 1997.  Her work has appeared in Lilliput, bear creek haiku, Shemom and Whispers.  She has worn many hats over the years, but raising her children has been one of her greatest pleasures. Peggy lives in Cardiff, CA, with her husband, cat and wild garden and blogs at peggyduganfrench.com

Joanne Kennedy Frazer is a retired peace and justice director and educator for faith-based organizations.  Her poetry has appeared in several anthologies, journals, ezines and magazines.  Her chapbook, Being Kin, was published in 2019.  Home is Durham, NC.

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Bob Garrett lives in Sylvester, GA. He is a practicing nurse practitioner with Phoebe Orthopedics and Sports Medicine, and Urgent Care in Albany, GA. He has a passion for the outdoors, and enjoys writing about his experiences there.

Michael Gaspeny is the author of the novella in verse, The Tyranny of Questions (Unicorn Press) and the chapbooks Re-Write Men and Vocation. He has won the Randall Jarrell Poetry Competition. His novel about the blues, Postcard from the Delta, is forthcoming from The University of West Alabama’s Livingston Press. Residing in Greensboro, NC, he has received the Governor’s Award for Volunteer Excellence in recognition of his hospice service.

James Gibson, private pilot, scuba diver, and retired corporate manager, writes from Northville, Michigan. His first five novels featured Native American culture in the epic “Anasazi Quest” series. His eighth novel, To Live or Die in Taiwan was published in 2018, and a sequel, To Live or Die in Panama is drafted. Review all his published books at www.PentacleSPresS.com . Anasazi Princess and Anasazi Journey are now available in Kindle format on Amazon.com.

Marian Gowan is author of Notes from the Trunk, published by Old Mountain Press. Her work has appeared in many Old Mountain Press anthologies and southern regional publications.   She retired to the NC mountains from western NY in 2001, but in 2017, returned to western NY to be near family.  (mariangowan1@bellsouth.net)

Farley Granger thinks more than he writes, and he writes more than he sees other people. He grew up in a depressed country town and understands the struggles of poor, heartland folks. But he has a lot of hope. Farley lives in La Grange, NC.

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Karen Hammond has enjoyed writing family stories for her children and grandchildren for many years. She lives in Falls Church, Virginia with her husband, David Daniels.

Cordelia Hanemann is a writer and artist in Raleigh, NC. Her work has appeared in such journals as Southwest Review, Atlanta Review, and Laurel Review; anthologies, The Well-Versed Reader, Heron Clan and Kakalak and in her chapbook. Select poems have won awards, and she has been featured poet for Negative Capability Press and The Alexandria Quarterly.  A native of Southwest Louisiana, she is now working on a novel about her roots in Cajun Louisiana.

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Karen Luke Jackson draws upon oral history, contemplative practices, and nature for inspiration. Her poetry collection The View Ever Changing (Kelsay Books, 2021) explores a sense of place and family ties while GRIT (Finishing Line Press, 2020) chronicles her sister’s life as an award-winning clown. Karen resides in a cottage on a goat pasture in Flat Rock, NC. When she’s not writing, she companions people on their spiritual journeys.

Jill Jennings’ work has appeared in Atlanta Review, Oberon, Calamari, and Please See Me journals. Her 3 full-length books include The Poetry Alarm Clock, Dead Man’s Flower, and Pineapple Wine: Poems of  Maui.  She has received numerous awards including the U.S Congressional Commendation. A GA native, she now lives in Fort Myers, FL.

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K. D. Kennedy, Jr. has published Eight Books (8) books of poetry, short stories, and essays: Our Place On Time, Waiting Out In The Yard, For Rhyme Or Reason, Progenitors: A Kennedy Genealogy, The Works Of K. D. Kennedy, Jr., Poems Worth Remembering, Family...Forever’s Lovesong, and Truth Instead. He has also published works in over forty anthologies and periodicals.

Jo Koster teaches medieval literature and critical thinking, reading, and writing at Winthrop University. She and her cat Max live in Rock Hill, SC, where they are riding out the world’s craziness on the screened porch and she is finishing a new chapbook. She is a member of Board of Directors of the South Carolina Academy of Authors.

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Patsy Kennedy Lain continues to reside in Hubert, NC. She released her first book, BACKROADS, in May, and painted her own cover. Her works are published in multiple anthologies, magazines and a local newspaper. Patsy receives awards annually for her work through the Onslow County Senior Center. She also paints and is working on another poetry book. Patsy is truly inspired by the past as well as her current surroundings and every day life.

Cindy Larson, a native of Fargo, North Dakota, lived with her husband, Jerry, in southeastern Connecticut for 33 years. They built their retirement home on Glassy Mountain, Landrum, South Carolina, and it was their favorite location for 17 years.  Currently they are residents of The Woodlands, a senior living facility on the edge of beautiful Furman University, Greenville, SC.

Brenda Kay Ledford is a seventh-generational native of Clay County, NC  Her work has appeared in 45 Old Mountain Press anthologies and other publications.  Her new children’s picture book The Singing Convention, was released this year by Catch the Spirit of Appalachian, Inc. She blogs at: http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com .

K. A. Lewis graduated from the Corcoran School of Art in 1986 with little idea of how to make a living. Her work experience includes cake decoration, jewelry sales, hypnosis certification, being robbed at gunpoint, and 32 years as a custom picture framer. Since 2014, her poetry and genre fiction have been published in several anthologies. Katy and her husband live with five demanding cats in a small book-stuffed house in Falls Church, VA.

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Valerie Macon’s publishing credits include Kakalak, Whispers, Vision & Voice, Winston Salem Writer’s Poetry in Plain Sight 2016 & 2018,  Red Clay Review, Visions International, Clockhouse Review, Suburban Magazine.  She has authored the following books of poetry: Shelf Life, Sleeping Rough, A String of Black Pearls, The Shape of Today, and soon to come, Page Turner.

Preston Martin has published poems in New Ohio Review, Appalachian Review, Pine Mountain Sand & Gravel and other journals. He has poems in Every River on Earth: writings from Appalachian Ohio (Ohio University Press) and other anthologies. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

Trude McCarty is a life-long  artist who has recently begun exploring the written word as a new mode of expression. She enjoys directing her creative energy into poetry that paints a picture of family life and time enjoyed outdoors. Trude lives in Greensboro, NC.

Celia Miles, a native of Jackson County, lives, edits, writes from Asheville, NC. Retired from Asheville-Buncombe Technical Community College, she has written nine novels, co-edited four anthologies of WNC women’s work, and co-written a college textbook. She is currently writing a fourth grist mill mystery. www.celiamiles.com

Mona Miracle has lived in Kentucky, California, Michigan, Tennessee, and Florida; and since 1989,  Asheville, N.C.  Mona was a featured presenter at South Florida Poetry Society, and a four-category winner in Florida Freelance Writers Annual Competition.  Enjoy sample pages of her publications, including the novel Wesley’s Gift at Monaraemiracle.com.  The character Wesley deals with challenges of race, obsession with cats, and modern technology, and a wife pressing for equality.  Amazon provides her ebook and print formats.

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Beverly Ohler grew up in the Northeast, but spent most of her life on the campus of Warren Wilson College, designing and  teaching in the Theater Department, creating and directing festivals. She has written five  books, many published short stories in magazines and anthologies, including many issues of this one. She lives in Black Mountain, NC.

Martha O’Quinn is a regular contributor to OMP anthologies.  A native of North Carolina  but she has lived in five different southern states.  Her longest residence was twenty plus years in Hendersonville NC. In 2018 she and her husband moved to Loganville GA to be near family. They have two children, four grandchildren and five great-grandchildren.

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BILL PETZwork has appeared in The New Verse News, Asheville Citizen Times, Artists & Writer's Quarterly, and Status Hat. He teaches poetry at The College for Seniors at UNC-Asheville. Bill lives in Fairview, NC.

Nancy Posey lives in Brentwood, TN, where she is a professor at Lipscomb University. She co-hosts Black Dog Poetry Open Mic (which has been virtual through the pandemic.) She also writes and photographs for Music City Music Magazine and blogs about reading at www.discriminatingreader.com

Michael Potts is Professor of Philosophy at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina. He has authored three novels and two poetry anthologies and has numerous poems in literary magazines and anthologies. He lives with his wife and seven cats in Coats, North Carolina.

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Bill Ramsey:  Upon retirement, technical and marketing writing quickly transitioned.  They were replaced by writing about boyhood memories, life impacting issues and reflections about the life as an aging husband and grandfather. Regarded as “real life” writing by his readers, Bill has published four books and posts a weekly blog seen at www.authorbillramsey.com   Bill is a past board member of the NC Writer’s Network.  He has lived in Hendersonville, NC, since 1989.

Mary Ricketson lives in Murphy NC, works as a mental health counselor and a blueberry farmer.  Her poems often reflect the healing power of nature, surrounding mountains as midwife for her words.  Her published collections are I Hear the River Call My Name, Hanging Dog Creek, Shade and Shelter, Mississippi: The Story of Luke and Marian, Keeping in Place, and Lira, Poems of a woodland woman.

Dwight Roth is a retired elementary school teacher of 29 years, who grew up in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. He enjoys writing poetry, painting, and music. He had his work in several OMP anthologies. He has self-published four memoirs and eight books of poetry and five children’s books.  Nine books or booklets are published on Amazon Kindle. Dwight and his wife Ruth live near Monroe, NC. He writes daily on his blog:  https://rothpoetry.wordpress.com 

Maria Rouphail, Ph.D., is the author of Apertures (Finishing Line Press, “New Women’s Voices,” 2012), Second Skin (Mainstreet Rag, 2016), and the forthcoming All the Way to China (Finishing Line Press, 2022). She lives in Raleigh, NC.

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Paul Sherman works at Wildacres Retreat located in Little Switzerland, NC. He lives close by on the slope of Mt. Mitchell over 3000 feet above sea level where black bears come to sip gracefully from the hummingbird’s feeder. After quitting the bears cold turkey they became irritable, ravaged the Black-eyed Susans, destroyed the lawn ornament replica of themselves. And the hummingbird’s feeder returned.

Mike Sierra is originally from Long Island, NY. He moved to  Phoenix, AZ, where he pursued a career as a software engineer and started a family. Twenty-five years later, that career took him to the Pacific Northwest as an engineering/manufacturing manager. He is currently retired, affording him time to write, and lives with his wife near Seattle, WA.

Rishan Singh has played an instrumental role in recognizing upcoming talent in South Africa. He is responsible for the establishment of the World Scholars Cup at the Playhouse Theatre. He has contributed poems and science articles to international journals and books. Much of his work has been published by popular and scholastic press. In addition, he has been instrumental in the development and transformation of the English language teaching curriculum for learners in South Africa

Shelby Stephenson was poet laureate of NC from 2015-18. A recent book is Shelby’s Lady: The Hog Poems. He was editor of the international literary journal Pembroke Magazine for thirty-two years. He is a member of the Society of Distinguished Alumni, Department of English, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Shelby lives on Paul's Hill where he was born, ten miles north of Benson, NC.

Lois Greene Stone, writer and poet, has been syndicated worldwide. Poetry and personal essays have been included in hard & softcover book anthologies. Collections of her personal items/ photos/ memorabilia are in major museums including twelve different divisions of The Smithsonian. The Smithsonian selected only her photo to represent all teens from the 1940's-50's. She lives in Pittsford, NY.

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Barbara Tate is an award winning artist and writer. Past President of the Tri-County Society of Fine Art in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio she is a member of the British Haiku Society, The Haiku Society of America and the Tanka Society of America. Her work is widely published and she is a frequent contributor to the Old Mountain Press Anthology Series. Barbara currently resides in Tennessee and has a son Duane Booth, three grandchildren Justin (his wife Jamie), Grandson Brandon, Granddaughter Kaitlin, and Great-Granddaughter Aubriana in Ohio.

Rebekah Timms lives in Greenwood, SC, about fifteen miles from where she was born. She has published a memoir and two books of poetry, one with audio disc included. She began writing late in her retirement years and hopes that her work will be an expression of her joy and gratitude for life, especially for her family and friends and Old Mountain Press readers.

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Elizabeth Watson is familiar with old tales. Many of hers have been published by OMP and other anthologies.(Thanks, Tom.) Squeezing a tale onto one page is challenging, but fun. A side story to accompany the one printed in this edition—we had the pleasure of an unplanned  private tour with author Cassandra King Conroy, Pat Conroy’s charming widow, at The Pat Conroy Literary Center in Beaufort. What a treat. The Watson’s live a full life at The Woodlands at Furman in Greenville, SC.

GP Whelan is a full time dreamer and a part-time wanderer. He lives in Southwest Florida. He is the author of two self published books: In Search of a Spanish Kiss a novel, and Tales of a Boy’s Heart, a collection of poems and short stories. Both are available at Amazon Books. Comments appreciated at gepawh@gmail.com

Barbara Ledford Wright’s inspiration for writing comes from her research of her family history. She’s a retired educator. Her stories have been published in almost all of the the Old Mountain Press Anthology Series, as well as many other publications. She presently resides in Shelby, NC.

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C. Pleasants York of Sanford, NC, heard Lizzy Gossards’s story from Irma Landon, her husband’s grandmother, who had grown up in the Gossard Mansion and had modeled for Gossard Corsets. For years, York wore Lizzy Gossard’s silver Roses of Belvidere bracelet. When the bracelet disappeared, York began this selection, a memory of what was lost. Before the writing was completed, the bracelet appeared, discovered in a laundry basket. Lizzy would have loved the joke!