With the arrival of Easter Sunday, this sweet collection of inspirational poems seemed appropriate. Please join me in welcoming Verna Mitchell with her debut collection of poetry, Don't Frighten the Pansies.
Synopsis
Poems in this collection will make you laugh and cry and reflect
upon your own growing-up experiences. Most of all, you will be encouraged by
reminders of God’s forever goodness and love. Verna Cole Mitchell is a poet,
teacher, editor, and published author of poems and short stories. Don’t Frighten the Pansies, her first
book of poetry, contains some of the poems she has written through the years.
Whether you enjoy the pictures of God’s world she paints with words or her
descriptions of the security and hope He offers, these poems will inspire you.
An Interview with Verna Mitchell
Tell
us a little about yourself.
Recently
adding the title great grandmother to wife, mother, and grandmother as part of
my identity was a wonderful blessing. A happy
addition also to the designations of teacher and editor was author of a
published book of poems.
Did you plan to be a writer or did it
just happen?
I
never planned to be a writer. Before I had a fat pencil, I wrote with crayons.
In fact, the first writing I remember was proudly printing my name in red
crayon on the side of our white house—in preparation for seeing it on the front
of a book I’d written, no doubt. My mother was not impressed.
I
can’t, like some authors, say that I wrote a book when I was a child, but in
early years I loved to make up stories in which I was always the heroine. I
enjoyed writing letters. The mother of one of my friends said after reading
them, “You’ll be a writer someday,” and so I am. It was only after I began
teaching that I found my favorite writing genre to be poetry.
When
did you decide to take that step that made you a published author?
I
think every person who spends a great deal of time writing has a dream of being
published. I have published poems and pieces through the years in various
venues: magazines, newspapers, and websites, etc .For some time I have been
seriously considering a poetry collection to leave as a legacy for my children
and grandchildren. I was wondering what steps I would take to accomplish this
when a good friend who is an editor/publisher (Lorraine Fico-White) insisted
that I should write a book which would be for everyone, and she proceeded to
guide me in the process. Thanks, Lorraine!
What
inspired the idea behind your book?
The
inspiration for many of the poems in my book came from Faithwriters’ Writing
Challenge, a weekly contest. It is hard for me not to accept a challenge to
write, and I’ve entered often in the past six years. With topics provided,
writers have the opportunity to write in prose or poetry. The entry is not required
to be spiritual in context, but it must be good clean writing. Editors’ choice
selections are scheduled to be published in books or in on-line magazines, and
I’m looking forward to seeing more than 35 of my entries in those publications.
What do you have in store next for your
readers?
I
am working on a second collection of poetry, which is divided into six themes:
From the Bible; The Church; Family; Praise and Encouragement; Images; and
Aspirations. As in Don’t Frighten the Pansies, there are poems of inspiration,
encouragement , and humor, laced
throughout with my personal experience
and yearnings.
What has been your greatest pleasure or
personal success as an author?
My
greatest pleasure as an author has been having my family take pride in my work
and having people tell me that they enjoyed my poetry. I love the comments from
people who have read my book, like
the waiter who said, “I could just see my grandmother in the poem about the
cookies,” a friend who said, “’The Baptized Cat’ is worth the price of the
book,” and a lady I’d never met who wrote, “I keep your book on my bedside
table and read a poem every night.” One friend’s stepfather said that a poem
brought him encouragement at a time when he really needed it. That particularly
surprised me because I had not written it with a purpose to encourage. Poetry
touches us all in different ways.
Tell us the soundtrack to your book.
The
soundtrack I would choose for my book would be The Sound of Music. There are definitely more than a few of “my
favorite things” in it, and I hope the sound of the music in my poetry is
alive.
Which authors and books have most
influenced your writing style?
My
writing style has been greatly influenced by the poets I studied with my
students when I taught English in secondary school. Some of my favorite authors are Emily
Dickinson, Robert Frost, Sara Teasdale, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Carl Sandburg,
and Langston Hughes. There are many other American authors, as well as British
and Scottish authors, that I admire, but I think you get the picture.
If
I were to select a book that has had a strong influence on my writing, it would
be Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. I
don’t know of another author who has demonstrated greater skill in descriptive
prose.
Laptop,
desktop or notebook and pen/pencil for writing?
Most
of the time, I use my desktop computer for writing, but I like to keep a
notebook and pen in the car for longer trips to record thoughts or images. A
notebook on the dresser comes in handy if I get an idea during the night that
I’m afraid I won’t remember in the morning, and I have been known to write a
notation of a sudden inspiration on a church bulletin.
Describe your book. Why
readers should pick it up?
Don’t Frighten the Pansies has poems with descriptions of nature
(one of my favorite reviews called these “splashes of color), along with poetry
of inspiration, encouragement, and humor. There is personal experience in verse
that invites you to reflect on memories of your own childhood days. The variety
of topics and poetry styles offers something for everyone.
How did your book come to life?
My
book came to life after Lorraine and I had edited and edited and edited it, and
then my granddaughters, both graphic designers, added their touch. Allison Tucker
designed the cover and arranged family pictures in the back, and Stephanie
Smith formatted the pages, including the illustrations for division pages. I
was glad for their ownership in this project that brought joy to all of us as a
family.
Enjoy a selection from Don't Frighten the Pansies
God’s Music
In every morning just at dawn, God turns His sounds of
nature on.
All through the day, His symphony plays heaven’s music
endlessly.
The wind that in the willows sings repeats the whir of
angels’ wings.
As turtledoves commence to coo; they’re seeking sweethearts
soon to woo.
In summer, swallows, swooping low, are humming, crooning as
they go.
A choir of birds has varied call; the mockingbird will trill
them all.
The geese go honking as they fly across the sullen autumn
sky,
And dry leaves, drifting from the trees, are rustling with
the passing breeze.
In winter, soft, the sweep of snow brings whispers to the
land below.
The sleet that pounds with icy ping, drum rolls staccato
with each sting.
As raindrops bring spring flowers cheer, they turn their
heads so they can hear;
Then with the rhythm of romance, to patter of the rain, they
dance.
The gale brings warning with a growl, then drops blown tree
limbs all around.
The evening storms reverberate with roaring thunder until
late.
The rivers rushing to the sea, create a lilting melody.
The surfs of ocean pound and crash repeatedly on shores they
lash.
In mating calls, the animals compete with crashing waterfalls
To play their parts instinctively—no stranger concert could
there be.
The bullfrog belts out loud “kerthumps” to echo in the pond
he jumps.
And then at night the owls ask, “Who? Who played this
program just for you?”
Perhaps God uses a baton to wave His music off and on,
Or claps His hands in accolade for this recital He has made.
Meet the Author
Verna Cole Mitchell
attended Southern Wesleyan University and graduated from Indiana Wesleyan
University. She and her husband, Leon, have lived in Charlotte, North Carolina,
for 47 years. They have two children, four grandchildren, one great grandchild,
and they joyously await the arrival of a second one.
A secondary English
teacher for 37 years, Verna is currently an editor and a writer, whose work has
appeared in a number of publications, including Teachers of Vision, Looking
Back, and Lucidity Journal of Verse.
Also, she serves as one of the devotional writers and as an editor for her
church’s website.
