Appalachian author Glenda Barrett has published a book of poetry with Kelsay Books.
The Beauty of Silence,
is available on amazon. Here is what writers Nancy Simpson, Mary Ricketson, and Janice Townley Moore say about Barrett's book:
In
The Beauty of Silence, Glenda Barrett reveals the most authentic
Appalachian voice to rise out of the southern mountains in years. “The
Gist of the Matter,” invites us in, as she sits at a table with her
kinfolks, peeling and eating an apple. The reader listens as this wise
family elder recounts the then and now of her mountain heritage. In her
poem, “Sorting it Out,” she affirms, “In hindsight, my best lessons were
learned not in good times, but in deepest sorrow. I learned pain would
not destroy me.” Her hope is to share specific truths. This nugget of
wisdom emerges from, “Serenity,” “I’ve learned the comfort and peace
found in solitude.” I chose, “The Fork of the River,” as my favorite.
“My best lessons have been learned not in chaos, but in places of
silence. Like the Cherokee before me, I seek direction in the quietness
of the morning."
—Nancy Simpson, author of
Across Water, Night Student, and Living Above the Frost Line, New and Selected Poems
Glenda Barrett’s poems reflect a wisdom that grows from a life-long
relationship with nature. The gentle flow of a mountain stream, the
hardship of ice in winter, and a sudden drought in summer contribute to
her perspective.
In The Beauty of Silence, Barrett plants seeds for the
reader through a garden of strong people, simple ways, and the wisdom of
experience. From her grandmother, her ancestors, flowers in a garden,
to the trail tree of the Cherokee, she sifts her life to find nuggets of
country wisdom. She “stands knee deep in the cool, clear waters of Owl
Creek.” A quiet simplicity feeds her, feeds the reader. “Clods of dirt
are busted, large rocks rolled aside, tangled vines uprooted, and
brambles turned under,” until it’s time to return to my complicated
life.” Barrett is a “homegrown girl” who couldn’t leave her roots for
long. Her poems provide the reader a wealth of perspective, a wisdom
long remembered.
—Mary Ricketson, M. E. Ed., Licensed
Professional Counselor, author of
I Hear the River Call My Name,
and Hanging Dog Creek
In clearly crafted poems, Glenda Barrett connects a literal
geography, the North Georgia mountains of her heritage, to a landscape
of honest and varied emotions. There is elation in, “I can almost feel
the pulse beat of my ancestors who hoed this ground,” balanced with
sorrow, “I felt searing pain like deep furrows plowed slowly back and
forth across my heart.” As a poet who finds meaning in the ordinary, she
often surprises the reader with insights such as, “For the soil to be
useful it has to be broken.” Always close to the natural world, her
poems reveal that she is a professor of the five senses, as when she
describes spring, “Even the red tulips . . . with their mouths wide open
seem to be shouting with the rest of creation, 'Hallelujah.'" As seen
her lines reflect a triumphant spirit that is certain to be transferred
to readers.
—Janice Townley Moore, author of
Teaching the Robins
Glenda Barrett, a native of
Hiawassee, Georgia, is an artist, poet, and writer. Her work has been
widely published yearly since her first writing class in 1997 and has
appeared in:
Woman's World, Farm & Ranch Living, Country Woman,
Chicken Soup for the Soul, Journal of Kentucky Living, Nantahala Review,
Rural Heritage, Wild Goose Poetry Review, Kaleidoscope Magazine and many more.
Barrett's poetry chapbook,
When the Sap Rises,
was published by Finishing Line Press in 2008. She has completed two
more books since that time, a full-length poetry book which is currently
under review by a publisher and a book of Appalachian essays. Glenda
worked many years in various healthcare system jobs and retired due to a
form of Muscular Dystrophy.
She is very grateful to be able to
devote her time to the two things she loved as a child, painting and
writing. She has two grown children and lives with her husband of
forty-two years in the North Georgia mountains.
Barrett is a member of the North Carolina Writers' Network-West.
