A MOTHER SPEAKS, A DAUGHTER LISTENS
Journeying Together Through Dementia
Wising Up Press (2022)
Available from Wising Up Press and other online book stores, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To find the book at an independent bookstore, click here on IndieBound. Available locally (Washington County, VA) at The Arts Depot at 314 Depot Square in Abingdon and The Merc at 31011 Hillman Highway in Emory across from Emory & Henry College.
Click HERE for an Apple podcast of my first public reading from the poems within a conversation with Henry McCarthy, host, recorded for WEHC's Poets & Writers (aired first on August 23, 2022). Or click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Click on CALENDAR above for related events. I would especially love to meet with book groups and dementia support groups for caregivers.
Click HERE for a reading guide.
While each life story is unique, dementia's ripple effect on relationships touches us in common ways. In this collection, we're invited to share one mother-daughter dementia journey from the early days of a woman's life through years in a nursing home and also the emotional transformations that continue after a loved one’s death. These poems, some created from the mother’s words and all from the daughter’s heart, invite us to see Mitchell's mother Audrey as a complete, albeit changed, woman at the close of her life—and also how the depth and complexity of Mitchell's love for her is enriched by understanding what remains, and remains transformative, even as a brain changes.
Journeying Together Through Dementia
Wising Up Press (2022)
Available from Wising Up Press and other online book stores, including Amazon and Barnes & Noble. To find the book at an independent bookstore, click here on IndieBound. Available locally (Washington County, VA) at The Arts Depot at 314 Depot Square in Abingdon and The Merc at 31011 Hillman Highway in Emory across from Emory & Henry College.
Click HERE for an Apple podcast of my first public reading from the poems within a conversation with Henry McCarthy, host, recorded for WEHC's Poets & Writers (aired first on August 23, 2022). Or click HERE to listen on Spotify.
Click on CALENDAR above for related events. I would especially love to meet with book groups and dementia support groups for caregivers.
Click HERE for a reading guide.
While each life story is unique, dementia's ripple effect on relationships touches us in common ways. In this collection, we're invited to share one mother-daughter dementia journey from the early days of a woman's life through years in a nursing home and also the emotional transformations that continue after a loved one’s death. These poems, some created from the mother’s words and all from the daughter’s heart, invite us to see Mitchell's mother Audrey as a complete, albeit changed, woman at the close of her life—and also how the depth and complexity of Mitchell's love for her is enriched by understanding what remains, and remains transformative, even as a brain changes.
Waltzing with Horses
Press 53 (2014)
Waltzing with Horses is available from Press 53, your favorite local bookstore if you just ask (ISBN 978-1-941209-08-0), and national chains. To find your local independent bookstore, click here on IndieBound. Residents of Washington County, Virginia, and visitors to the area can find the book at The Merc in Emory and The Arts Depot in Abingdon.
Reading Felicia Mitchell's stunning collection, Waltzing with Horses, is like spending a few life-changing hours with one of those wise women we read about in fairy tales. She knows the names of each plant and flower, and teaches us that every living thing, from the tiniest sparrow to a herd of wild horses, is sacred. And holiest of all, she whispers, is not only our connection to the earth, but to our deepest selves, and to every person we have ever loved. Terri Kirby Erickson, author of A Lake of Light and Clouds and In the Palms of Angels.
Press 53 (2014)
Waltzing with Horses is available from Press 53, your favorite local bookstore if you just ask (ISBN 978-1-941209-08-0), and national chains. To find your local independent bookstore, click here on IndieBound. Residents of Washington County, Virginia, and visitors to the area can find the book at The Merc in Emory and The Arts Depot in Abingdon.
Reading Felicia Mitchell's stunning collection, Waltzing with Horses, is like spending a few life-changing hours with one of those wise women we read about in fairy tales. She knows the names of each plant and flower, and teaches us that every living thing, from the tiniest sparrow to a herd of wild horses, is sacred. And holiest of all, she whispers, is not only our connection to the earth, but to our deepest selves, and to every person we have ever loved. Terri Kirby Erickson, author of A Lake of Light and Clouds and In the Palms of Angels.
The Cleft of the Rock, Finishing Line Press Chapbook (Kentucky), 2009
Felicia Mitchell's delicious poems are packed with wonders, like succulent fig preserves or red cherries--savor and devour them. There are no affectations to get in the way of the reader's pleasure. Each poem is a song with hints of the folkloric and mythic laced through. Erotic energy plumps the verbal fruits as well. The reader feels refreshed by the poet's generous and tender attention to details of the natural world, as well as to the reader's thirst for beauty. Marilyn Kallet
The Cleft of the Rock is not currently in print but a few copies can be found at Meadowview Farmers Guild at the Harvest Table in downtown Meadowview (VA). Cover art is by Charles Goolsby.
See a sample poem posted in Here, Where I Am, Kathryn Stripling Byer's old blog: Almost Easter. (See Byer's new blog here: Mountain Woman.) Read a review by Scott Owens: Review of The Cleft of the Rock, 2009. (Learn more about Owens here: Scott Owens, Poet, Teacher, Father.)
Felicia Mitchell's delicious poems are packed with wonders, like succulent fig preserves or red cherries--savor and devour them. There are no affectations to get in the way of the reader's pleasure. Each poem is a song with hints of the folkloric and mythic laced through. Erotic energy plumps the verbal fruits as well. The reader feels refreshed by the poet's generous and tender attention to details of the natural world, as well as to the reader's thirst for beauty. Marilyn Kallet
The Cleft of the Rock is not currently in print but a few copies can be found at Meadowview Farmers Guild at the Harvest Table in downtown Meadowview (VA). Cover art is by Charles Goolsby.
See a sample poem posted in Here, Where I Am, Kathryn Stripling Byer's old blog: Almost Easter. (See Byer's new blog here: Mountain Woman.) Read a review by Scott Owens: Review of The Cleft of the Rock, 2009. (Learn more about Owens here: Scott Owens, Poet, Teacher, Father.)
Earthenware Fertility Figure, Talent House Press Chapbook (Oregon), 1999
This chapbook was printed in a limited edition as a first-place winner of the Talent House Chapbook competition. Poems, which were inspired by a short residency at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, are based on images of women in art. A reprint is in the works; check back for more information. Read "Venus of Meadowview,” “Nudist Lady With Swan Sunglasses,” and “Earthenware Fertility Figure,” reprinted in Nantahala Review 1.1 (2001). A scanned copy of the chapbook is available to read if you click HERE.
This chapbook was printed in a limited edition as a first-place winner of the Talent House Chapbook competition. Poems, which were inspired by a short residency at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, are based on images of women in art. A reprint is in the works; check back for more information. Read "Venus of Meadowview,” “Nudist Lady With Swan Sunglasses,” and “Earthenware Fertility Figure,” reprinted in Nantahala Review 1.1 (2001). A scanned copy of the chapbook is available to read if you click HERE.
Case Hysteries, Edwin Mellen Press (Lewiston, NY), 1996
This academic monograph includes poems that I wrote during my first academic sabbatical as I worked with Freud's case histories of sexual trauma. I thought the book was out of print, but it is available again with this new description: Poems based on the voices of five women in Freud's case histories, with some of Freud's voice, as well. Case Hysteries was written to memorialize the voices of women. The women's stories offer insight into sexual trauma, repressed memories, and physical problems rooted in psychological distress. You may read the book via interlibrary loan if your library does not have it (ISBN 0-7734-2706-6). It is available from Edwin Mellen.
This academic monograph includes poems that I wrote during my first academic sabbatical as I worked with Freud's case histories of sexual trauma. I thought the book was out of print, but it is available again with this new description: Poems based on the voices of five women in Freud's case histories, with some of Freud's voice, as well. Case Hysteries was written to memorialize the voices of women. The women's stories offer insight into sexual trauma, repressed memories, and physical problems rooted in psychological distress. You may read the book via interlibrary loan if your library does not have it (ISBN 0-7734-2706-6). It is available from Edwin Mellen.
Her Words: Diverse Voices in Contemporary Appalachian Women's Poetry, University of Tennessee, 2002
This book grew out of a conference presentation at Associated Writing Programs, "Re-Envisioning Appalachian Poetry: The Sow's Ear and Its Community of Poets" (3 April 1997, Washington, DC). An editor at University of Tennessee Press approached me and helped me achieve my vision of including interviews, poems, and scholarly articles that highlighted women's poetry in Appalachia during a time when much less attention was given to the work of women's voices. My thesis was that the women represented shared a broader and more diverse group of Appalachian identities than previously acknowledged. The books is available from University of Tennessee or a national bookseller.
This book grew out of a conference presentation at Associated Writing Programs, "Re-Envisioning Appalachian Poetry: The Sow's Ear and Its Community of Poets" (3 April 1997, Washington, DC). An editor at University of Tennessee Press approached me and helped me achieve my vision of including interviews, poems, and scholarly articles that highlighted women's poetry in Appalachia during a time when much less attention was given to the work of women's voices. My thesis was that the women represented shared a broader and more diverse group of Appalachian identities than previously acknowledged. The books is available from University of Tennessee or a national bookseller.
Words & Quilts. A Selection of Quilt Poems, NTC Publishing, 1995
This lovely book, inspired by an old friendship quilt from my mother's family that I have donated to the S.C. State Museum, combines poems and images of quilts I researched over a period of years to explore my interest in the quilt as art and quilt as poetic metaphor. I enjoyed communicating with collectors and visiting museums to find the perfect quilts. Poet Marilyn Nelson, whose poem "The Century Quilt (For Sarah Mary Taylor, Quilter)" is in the book, arranged for a Sarah Mary Taylor's "Sweet Gum Leaf" quilt to be photographed for the book. Words & Quilts is no longer in print but can be found here and there online at a used bookstore for a relatively inexpensive price.
This lovely book, inspired by an old friendship quilt from my mother's family that I have donated to the S.C. State Museum, combines poems and images of quilts I researched over a period of years to explore my interest in the quilt as art and quilt as poetic metaphor. I enjoyed communicating with collectors and visiting museums to find the perfect quilts. Poet Marilyn Nelson, whose poem "The Century Quilt (For Sarah Mary Taylor, Quilter)" is in the book, arranged for a Sarah Mary Taylor's "Sweet Gum Leaf" quilt to be photographed for the book. Words & Quilts is no longer in print but can be found here and there online at a used bookstore for a relatively inexpensive price.
WORK IN EDITED BOOKS AND ANTHOLOGIES
- "Wild Grapes Near Saltville." Rewilding. Poems for the Environment. Ed. Crystal S. Gibbins. Minneapolis: Flexible Press, 2020.
- "Landscape with Shoes, Stewarts Creek" and "Towhee." Mountains Piled Upon Mountains. Appalachian Nature Writing in the Anthropocene. Ed. Jessica Cory. Morgantown: West Virginia University Press, 2019.
- "A Poem for Lost Grandmothers." Amsterdam Quarterly 2018 Yearbook. Ed. Bryan R. Monte. Amsterdam: 2018.
- "Joy in the Afternoon" and "By the Clinch River, St. Paul." Surprised by Joy. A Wising Up Anthology. Ed. Decatur, GA: Wising Up Press, 2018.
- "Bear Calls." Earth Blessings. Prayers, Poems and Meditations. Ed. June Cotner. Jersey City, NJ: Viva Editions, 2016. 73.
- “One Green Heron at Dusk.” Sunrise from Blue Thunder. Ed. Ami Kaye. El Paso, TX: Pirene’s Fountain, 2011. 112.
- “Clues.” Come What May. An Anthology of Writings about Chance. Ed. Marianne Worthington. Louisville, KY: Motes Books, 2010.
- “Missing.” Low Explosions. Writings on the Body. Ed. Casie Fedukovich with Steve Sparks. Knoxville, TN: Knoxville Writers’ Guild, 2006. 242-243.
- “My Country Garden.” The South Atlantic Coast and Piedmont: A Literary Field Guide. Stories from Where We Live Series. Ed. Sara St. Antoine, Trudy H. Nicholson, Trudy Nicholson, and Paul Mirocha. Minneapolis, MN: Milkweed Editions, 2006. 101.
- “When Wild Heart Cherries Are Too High To Pick.” Rough Places Plain. Poems from the Mountains. Ed. Margot Wizansky. Dartmouth, MA: Salt Marsh Pottery Press, 2005. 109-110.
- "Mannequin with Men at Her Feet." Très di-verse-city. An Austin International Poetry Festival Anthology. Ed. Scott Wiggerman. Austin, TX: AIPF, Inc. 1999. 43.
- "Azande Wood Figure: Mother & Child." Readings in the Psychology of Women: Dimensions of the Female Experience. Ed. Carie Forden, Anne Hunter and Beverly Birns. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, 1998. 203.
- "Infant Burial Room, Wupatki." Our Mothers, Our Selves. Writers and Poets Celebrating Motherhood. Ed. Karen J. Donnelly and J.B. Bernstein. Westport, CT, and London: Bergin & Garvey, 1996. 28-29.
- "Eggs." bite to eat place. an anthology of contemporary food poetry and poetic prose. Ed. Andrea Adolph, Donald L. Vallis, and Anne F. Walker. Oakland, CA: Redwood Coast Press, 1995. 111.
- "Late Bloomer" and "The Birth of Venus." The Poet's Job: To Go Too Far. Ed. Margaret Honton. Columbus, Ohio: Sophia Books, 1985. 60-61 & 234-35.
See NEWS tab or click NEWS here for other anthologies that include some of my poems!
Connected: What Remains As We All Change
Edited by Heather Tosteson and Charles D. Brockett
Wising Up Press (Decatur, GA), 2013
This anthology includes my Need Somebody to Love," an extended prose poem about loss. From the publisher: "We talk about the need to connect intimately, but do we recognize connection when it's here or only in retrospect? Is a feeling of connection something we can will into being—or something that, like grace, surprises us when we least expect it? Does it bear any relation to what we imagined it would be? What, if anything, does it have to do with love? With time's continuousness and mutability? With our own? In this anthology, thirty-two talented writers invite us to explore with them, through story, memoir, and poetry, what remains as we all change—within families, between friends, between lovers, through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, career change, gender change, marriage, parenthood, divorce, illness, disability, and death. The writing here is strikingly mature—and moving—whether the writer is nineteen or ninety. The book is available from Wising Up Press and national chains.
Edited by Heather Tosteson and Charles D. Brockett
Wising Up Press (Decatur, GA), 2013
This anthology includes my Need Somebody to Love," an extended prose poem about loss. From the publisher: "We talk about the need to connect intimately, but do we recognize connection when it's here or only in retrospect? Is a feeling of connection something we can will into being—or something that, like grace, surprises us when we least expect it? Does it bear any relation to what we imagined it would be? What, if anything, does it have to do with love? With time's continuousness and mutability? With our own? In this anthology, thirty-two talented writers invite us to explore with them, through story, memoir, and poetry, what remains as we all change—within families, between friends, between lovers, through childhood, adolescence, adulthood, career change, gender change, marriage, parenthood, divorce, illness, disability, and death. The writing here is strikingly mature—and moving—whether the writer is nineteen or ninety. The book is available from Wising Up Press and national chains.