Words from the Heart

  Recently, someone asked me why I was writing poetry...again...for the 30 Poems in November challenge. First and foremost, poetry has been a lifeline for me since childhood. Poetry allowed me to find beauty amidst poverty, disease, and abuse. With poetry, I could dive down the rabbit hole with the like of Emily Dickinson, Robert Frost, and Edna St. Vincent Millay to cavort with language that painted pictures in ways that gave voice to the fear and longings I had.  My second thought when asked why I would get up early each morning to write a poem based on a prompt someone has sent me was, "Why not?" Writing stimulated the brain, which is something scientist are now telling those over sixty is very important for their mental health. Writing helps to de-stress you, lowering your blood pressure and activating the hormones that help to keep you healthy. As you can see my first two reason are very selfish, but I am not only thinking of myself when I write. I am thinking of my stud

Ruby Pearl, the heroine of Dianne Floyd Boehm’s novel stands precariously on the cusp of life. In the small village of Oilton, Oklahoma. Horse and buggy are still the primary means of transportation. Ruby Pearl has been transported by her mind. She hears the call of modern life in a big city like Tulsa, Oklahoma City or Chicago.  Diann Floyd Boehm has written a Young Adult novel based on the life of her grandmother. By deftly weaving memories and history of the 1920’s, Ms. Boehm. fictitiously, recounts her grandmother’s struggle to achieve the life of her dreams. Ms. Boehm’s grandmother's dream is not the life assumed and expected by her parents and the community of Oilton. Ruby Pearl loves to read and write. She also loves her family. A husband, children and home are important to her. She does not want, though, to become as the author writes, “the CEO of the household” without first experiencing life in “the big city.” She wants to live in a big city like Tulsa, Oklahoma City or

I am thrilled to share a post with writer, Diann Floyd Boehm. Diann's new book, Rise! A Girl's Struggle for More,  is an excellent example of how inspiration can come from past memories. Diann was born in Tulsa, OK. She was sister to five brothers. Together they grew up in Texas. Diann graduated from George Mason University with a Bachelor of Education. She is married and the mother of three children. Throughout her life, she has traveled, taught elementary school and lived around the world.  Rise! A Girl's Struggle for More is her fourth book.   ~~~ How Memories of the Past Inspire Writers After I decided to write the story of my grandmother’s life, with the hope of inspiring young people to follow their dreams, I began really studying the history of my great-parents’ times growing up, and how my grandmother opened doors to understanding the past and the ripple effects it had over the years. My grandmother was born in 1904 in a small town in Oklahoma. It was so far remove