Bill Griffin
Elkin, North Carolina, USA
In GriffinPoetry I hope to showcase vivid poetic imagery, from established as well as emerging poets. You’ve read a line that reaches out and grabs you by the throat — the image that is so vivid, novel, sensual, emotionally imperative — so satisfying you find yourself saying, Damn, I wish I’d written that!
If you have an all time favorite line or two, share them with us in a comment.
I am a family doctor and geriatrician in rural North Carolina. I’ve served on the Board of the NC Poetry Society as Treasurer for so many years that people actually assume I know what I’m doing. My poems have appeared in many regional and national journals, including Southern Poetry Review, Tar River Poetry, POEM, NC Literary Review, and Pembroke Magazine. In 2009 I received the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Poet Laureate Award, judged by Kathryn Stripling Byer.
My most recent poetry chapbook is little mouse (Main Street Rag 2011). This collection of 32 poems, each 20 lines, each with the same title, little mouse, speaks with many different voices of the struggles and epiphanies we all share as members of the human family. I challenge you to find yourself among these poems.
In 2008 March Street Press (Greensboro, NC) published my collection Snake Den Ridge, a Bestiary. Each poem is the persona of a creature of the Great Smokies, from Bear to Beetle and Vireo to Hawk. Listening to these wild voices, may we discover our place in the ecology of creation, engendering biophilia? A drawing by my wife, illustrator and historian Linda French Griffin, accompanies each poem and also displays the native flora of the mountains. Linda has written a preface exploring the history of the bestiary as a literary form over the past millenium and speculating on the place that works like Snake Den Ridge might hold in our future struggle to preserve our world. At the end of the book is a florelegium explaining the plants in the drawings.
I have two other poetry chapbooks still available from the publisher or directly from me: Barb Quill Down (Pudding House 2004) and Changing Woman (Main Street Rag 2006).
Hello! I am a poet, author and love to read others poetry!
I have a few poems I would like to share but just saw this today, on Facebook. When I have more time, I’ll send something. Just published two books, one novel, late last year, ‘Mysteerie Manor’, a paranormal mystery thriller and a children’s beautiful pictorial storybook, ‘The Tumbleweed Family’ that was just released a few days ago. Yesterday I sent in a submission to publish Mysteerie Manor II. It should be out by the end of May, I am hoping. I’m self published with Createspace, xlibris and Iuniverse now with the last one. I am currently working on a collaboration of Poetry, and Art with 8 artists. I should have it finished by next month sometime and then publish. Its full of beautiful Poetry and Art, as in this beautiful website blog you have created. Thank you for the pleasure of reading some of the beautiful works here. I will be sending something soon to share with you.
http://www.SharonHays.com
Sharon, thanks again for the comment. If you’d like me to consider featuring a poem on GriffinPoetry, please send 5 or 6 poems (preferably already published, since posting them on this blog makes them “previously published” for the purpose of future journal submissions). Also send me information about yourself, not necessarily the usual standard bio but something that really lets me know about you.
I am looking for vivid and evocative poetic imagery.
Thanks!
I am a 7th cousin of James Larkin Pearson. Many years ago, my mother, Betty Shea and I began corresponding with him. Although, he was in his 90’s, he handtyped long letters to both she and I, revealing his amazment and astonishment at life outside his home. We visited him on a couple of occasions, one being the celebration of his 100th birthday. I have several of his books(signed) and always cherished my memories of him. I’m glad to see someone interested in his quaint yet brilliant works! Many times, I have brought out his books and read verse after verse to my 4 kids. My mother has passed away and I do not know if her cousin, Stokes Pearson(Dean of Wilkes Community College) is still living. By the way, my mother grew up in Elkin, and we still have family there. I was named after Ronda, NC.
Ronda, this is simply amazing! Thanks for bringing our second NC Poet Laureate even more to life for us. Tell your family that at our last Board meeting of the NC Poetry Society (at Weymouth Center in Southern Pines) I read a poem for the group from Larkin’s book. And you may already know this, but every year the Poetry Council of NC sponsors the James Larkin Pearson poetry contest (http://poetrycouncilofnc.wordpress.com/). If you ever pass through Elkin, please let me know so we can say, “Hey!”
Hi Bill, We met at Weymouth center in September, and I told you how happy I was to find your bestiary and little mouse poems. I don’t have anything to say on your site yet, but I’d love to be in touch with you. The Little Mouse poems are wonderful, and hats off to the incredible discipline of the form you demanded of each one. And the Bestiary, oh my word! The only thing wrong with it is that Linda’s gorgeous graphics are all only in black and white.
Warm regards,
Judith
Thanks, Judith! As you’ve noticed, I’ve taken a respite from the blog since this summer. I hope to start adding new features and featured poems soon. Thanks for your kind comments — I’ll pass the word along to Linda. BILL
Bill, I am very much enjoying roving through your blog. Keep up the good work! P M F Johnson
Bill, I ran across one of your poems at the NC Zoo. I would very much like to use it in my classroom and feature it on a blog I have for other English teachers, if you would allow it. I do not have all the words for it, but I do have the title and the last line: “Deer” ‘…all day long and haven’t even seen me once.’
If you will allow me to use it, could you give me the entire poem? I’ll be glad to put a link back to this site (or another one if you prefer). Thank you.
Hi Mark — I’m just tickled that you saw “Deer” at the Zoo. I’ll be glad to send you the full text. I’m sending an email to your school address to make sure we connect.
I spent a week as Poet-in-Residence at the Zoo in July, 2012. My daily journal from that awesome experience is on this blog under “Poetry of Conservation.” Check it out!