Featuring Poet Mary Ricketson in March, Her Birth Month

Mary Ricketson Then and Now

Welcome to LIVING ABOVE THE FROST LINE to Ms. Mary Ricketson, of Hanging Dog, North Carolina, whose poems will be featured in March 2010, in this her birth month. (Yes, also featured this month is the poetry of N C Poet Ruth Moose. Stay posted.)

One evening I answered my phone and heard the voice of a woman asking about my creative writing class at Tri County Community College. It was Mary Ricketson. She said she had been writing and hoped she might be ready to take my class. I said, "Yes, yes." Mary took the class and I saw that she was already an accomplished writer and poet. A while later some of my students asked if I would teach a workshop on how to get a poetry book published. That was one of the highlights of my teaching career. There were six women in that class that lasted for eight weeks. It was hard work, but the program was designed to guide them in getting their poetry collection published, not self published, but to actually find a publisher who would believe in their poems and finance the publication of their book.

Mary Ricketson and the others where asked to choose a partner to work with for the eight weeks. That meant three people would proof read the proposed manuscript: the author, their partner, and myself the instructor. The poets were also asked to read their entire chapbook while it was recorded on tape. Each got comments from the group and each took their tape home with them. It worked very well for Mary Ricketson and her partner who was Glenda Barrett of Hiawassee, Georgia. A few months latere, both woman called me on the same day, both saying the same thing: "My poetry chapbook has been accepted for publication."

MANIFESTO

My body knew

before my mind

made thoughts,

before my voice

found words.

Make peace with loss.

make friends with change.

A candle flickers.

Blue light drowns

in its own flame.

Secret shards

of hope surrender.

Let me live

where crystal clear creeks

slither over small rugged rocks,

slide through the smooth,

and rain and tears are welcome

as sunlight and laughter.

Where birth and death

run the same river bed,

I run my life.

by Mary Ricketson

from I Heard the River Call My Name

Do you want to read more? If your comment

is "Yes", there will be more poems by

Mary Ricketson posted here druing the month

of March

Do you want to buy this book? I hope so.

Finishing Line Press

PO Box 1626

Georgetown, Kentucky 40324

or order on line

finishinglinepress.com

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/1599242141/ref=dp_olp_3/103-1642903-7363836