Thursday, April 18, 2013

Welcome Guest Author - poet Danielle Thorne

Danielle Thorne 



      STEPH: How long have you been writing poetry?

DANI: I've been writing poetry since I was about twelve years old. I always had a flair for writing, but when poems were introduced in school they were a natural outlet for me to express myself. This continued throughout life into my twenties with some being published, until I committed to writing fiction. Today I write poetry to relieve stress and journal my life.

STEPH: What style do you like to write? 

DANI: My poetry is free form and very independent. I enjoy studying and reading different styles, but I don't like to be hindered by rules.

STEPH: What are some themes of your poetry?

DANI: Most often, nature plays the biggest role in my poetry. Whether it's reflective, angry or romantic, I turn to what inspires me the most to express what I'm feeling or seeing.

STEPH: Who is your favorite poet?

DANI: Shel Silverstein always made me laugh, and I love him, but I treasure Robert Frost above all. I'm also a fan of Maya Angelou. Such wisdom.

STEPH: What is your favorite poem?

DANI: "Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening" by Robert Frost. I memorized this poem years ago during a difficult time of my life after I suddenly realized the message of endurance and peace I could learn from it.

STEPH:  Dani, can you share some of your poetry with us?

DANI: I would love to. This poem is a snapshot of my curious childhood, which began when my mother moved us from Chicago into the Appalachian Mountains. It was published in my poetry chapbook, Southern Girl, Yankee Roots, available at Amazon.com.



Southern Woman

They called momma a Damn Yankee
because she didn't know
what to do with bacon fat.
She pulled up half the garden
before she learned the difference between
snapdragons and plain old weeds.
My step-grandmama showed her
how to use an iron skillet,
and Momma gave up show tunes for
John Denver records. 
On Saturdays, she’d cut hair free
for everyone in town,
While they taught us kids to drink ice tea
and eat trout.
I forgot about Chicago
when they sent me down the road
to that old mountain school.

From Southern Girl, Yankee Roots



Find Me!


Bio:
Danielle Thorne writes from south of Atlanta, Georgia. She is the author of sweet romantic adventure books, both historical and contemporary. Danielle has published poetry and short fiction as well as novels.

Other work has appeared with Espresso Fiction, Every Day Fiction, Arts and Prose Magazine, Mississippi Crow, The Nantahala Review, StorySouth, Bookideas, The Mid-West Review and more. She was the 2009-2010 Co-Chair for the New Voices Competition for young writers, is active with online author groups and moderates for The Sweetest Romance Authors at the Coffee Time Romance boards. Her popular blog, The Balanced Writer, focuses on life and the pursuit of peace and happiness.

Ms. Thorne has four sons with her husband, Rob. Together they enjoy travel and the outdoors.

8 comments:

  1. Dani, thanks so much for visiting today! I enjoyed your poem very much. I like how it tells a story. It brought a smile to my face.

    smiles
    Steph

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  2. Wonderful poem and post!
    Thanks,
    Petie

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  3. Thanks all. Poetry is a great way to work through things. I'm enjoying poetry week here at Steph's blog and hope you are, too.

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  4. I love poetry because of the word choice and precise nature of it. What a big move! :)

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  5. On the surface this poem tells me of a woman's transformation from Damnyankee (I was a teenger before I learned that wasn't one word-smile) to Southern Gal. The roots run so much deeper than that. In the process of her changing, she changed the world around her, and for the better. I think this is a beautiful poem. Thanks for sharing.

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  6. I loved your poem, Dani! Thanks for sharing. I wrote poetry while I was in college and now you have inspired me to write poems again. Congrats on your many wonderful skills as a poet and a fiction writer.

    Btw, I use Frost's poem, "Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening", in my Christmas book. The character was illiterate and when he learns to read, he reads this poem to his family.

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  7. Very nice, especially the soft and easy ending that packs a big punch. :)

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