Life requires effort, poetry requires attention. Tower of Babel is my best poem, along with Wrong Way to Salvation, and Between You and Me

I was born on Long Island and have lived here all my life. I love the suburban towns and the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. I am married, have 2 sons, 2 daughters-in-law, 3 stepchildren, and a total of 6 grandchildren. I write poetry, short fiction, personal essay, and memoir and am in the process of creating a style of mixed media art in which I can incorporate my poems. I enjoy nature walks, many forms of art, and I am obsessed with books and reading. I much prefer the solid feel of a real book though I do own and read books on my kindle e-reader. I also enjoy cooking and gardening. I consider myself an earthy and spiritual woman. I work full time as an Assistant Principal in a special education preschool. I love my work and the staff I supervise is amazing in the warmth and dedication. It's a pleasant and friendly place to spend many hours a day. That said, I eagerly await retirement when I can write full time. I blog at www.amarriageofpoetryandart.blogspot.com and at www.reneeiswriting.blogspot.com My first collection of poetry has just been published and is available at amazon.com. The title is: "I am My Mother's Only Poem."

I write sometimes.

A lover of language, a philologist I'm told, I have taught composition and creative writing for over thirty years at the colleges and high schools of Southern California. Born and raised on Long Island, New York, I grew up in the suburban half hardship half luxury life that allowed me escape and salvation in books. If I have done anything well in my days, it is that I have fostered the same love in my two teenaged daughters. Healthy and productive in Huntington Beach, land of surf and sea, I live with my two daughters, husband of 35 years, two cats and dog. I consider myself, above all, a reader erotically seduced by the texture, flavor and scent of words. I try to give back that same pleasure I receive from language through play. Peace, Pam