Officially a published poet!

Some time ago, I was informed that a poem I wrote was accepted for publication by Resonance, and today, the online publication was posted. This came at a time when I was really in need of some forward movement in my writing career.

Follow this link to read the poem: Ode To A Grandmother I Never Knew

Some perspective on how this poem came to be.....I grew up without either of my grandmothers in my life. This poem is really a compilation of stories told about both of them, the only way they will live on for me. The blanket is real and shown here, and actually discovered in a hope chest. My daughters will recognize it as "the sick blanket" as we always used it as a comfort during a bad cold or flu.

This patchwork quilt was my father's, who was born in 1918, made by his mother sometime before 1940. I love imagining the original articles of clothing represented in the squares.

My goal in the poem was to convey the feeling I have about these two remarkable women: their simple strengths, their ingenuity in dealing with challenges, their legacy. They did not set out to change the world, yet each of them left behind hundreds of descendants who can look back and marvel at their approaches to life.

The poem fit perfectly with the goal of Resonance, which is to publish works by and about the Franco-American community. I am very grateful to the editors for choosing my poem, and to the University of Maine for supporting this important publication. The Franco-American voice is rarely heard in American literature, and it is high time we start telling our story with pride.