The poetry book pictured above is one of the 3 chapbooks I’ve written.

It’s both fun and hard work putting a series of poems together in a way that will cohere for readers. I’ve been working on two new ones. Of course–whether or not any press will want to publish either is unknown.

I’m sure many of you have creative projects of your own–from woodworking to knitting, putting together a class to offer or re-plumbing some part of your house. And while you’re putting focused energy into your particular project, it occupies a HUGE part of your mind, even entering your dreams! But doesn’t it make you feel alive in a delicious, new way?

My writing also turns the corner into prose. There are six of us who formed a group we call WOW (Write on Women). We share our fiction and nonfiction–sending out pages to each other and gathering every 2-3 weeks to offer supportive feedback. This kind of friendly, caring, perceptive group makes big writing tasks seem so much more doable. The novel I’m working on has the working title “Stolen in Place.” It centers on a woman who moves to a rural part of Appalachia after losing her lover and her job, moves in with her sister, and goes on a tour of a remote valley in the spring. She falls in love with the natural environment there–especially entranced by the Blue-Eyed Marys that carpet one section of the valley. When she finds out a dam will be built in the valley, she at first opposes it, but oddly enough, ends up working for the Watershed Agency that will build the monster, doing her best to make the project’s impacts fewer. Even as she works this difficult job, inspired by nature, she gradually takes up quilting and eventually becomes a world-famous fiber artist. That’s the broad outline, but the ins and outs of Celia’s trajectory are still in formation.