People often ask me...

...how I got started as a writer.

I wrote rhyming poems for my mom when I was a young child.  In school I discovered literature, and while I didn't always understand poerty, I was drawn to it.  I didn't go to college until I was an adult, and I took various literature courses, and my first poetry class was a study of contemporary poets.  Then I took a writing class with David Wojahn at UNO.  I had joined the N.O. Poetry Forum where anyone was welcome.  They spurred me along--some fantastic writers--and then I went to UNCC when I moved to Charlotte.  Following that came the opportunity to attend Warren Wilson's MFA Program.  While there I studied with Tom Lux, Joan Aleshire, Steve Orlean, Michael Ryan, and the Pulitzer Prize winner poet, Lisel Mueller.  I continue to admire the faculty there, and their books nourish me.  

...what I do when I cannot think of anything.

Oh, I love to nap!  And I find it isn't a waste of time at all.  I like to read poetry before drifting off, and when I wake I can often finish what had been a "stuck" place.  I have had dry periods, but they don't last long.  Then when all is flowing I just pour it all out, and so am ahead for the dry times.  Ahead in the sense that our poetry group only meets twice a month, and I don't put things "out there" until they've critiqued the work.  If I get too far ahead I corner someone in the group to lend help, but I am a firm believer of the critique of a group where opinions vary, and one must sutimately decide for oneself. 

Or, I go for a walk and immerse myself in nature, and while I'm not specifically a nature poet, it enters my work in various ways.  I'm especially fond of the nature photographs my husband takes, and his flowers are among the best.