Writing is one of the main avenues through which I continued to express what­ever fire I still possess, and which was my main preoccupation in those years between 80 and 90: not just writing, but being involved in poet-activist ventures such as the 100Thousand Poets for Change global peace and justice move­ment; the Hurt to Hope project of the YWCA; and David Madgalene’s World of Change anthologies of poetry calling for positive social and spiritual change.

 

Four of my five books of poetry as well as two volumes of memoir [family stories written over the years for my granddaughter] were published after turning 80. I also served on the board of the Healdsburg Literary Guild for over ten years, hosted its monthly Third Sunday Salon for nine years, produced its annual Poetry Valentine event with chapbook for eight years, and served as its Literary Laureate in 2008/2009. A busy literary ten years indeed!