BARBARA SIMMONS - POET

the official musings of

Picture

Barbara Simmons

creator of

Picture

Offertories: Exclamations
​and Disequilibriums


"Those daring forged
    A new path 
      Through wild and wonderful
        Verdant foliage;"

about the poet

Barbara Simmons is a graduate of Wellesley College, and received an MA in the Writing Seminars from Johns Hopkins, mentored by poet Elliot Coleman.

A retired educator, teacher, and counselor, she savors the smaller parts of life and language, exploring words as ways to remember, envision, celebrate, mourn, and understand.

​Her publications have included Santa Clara Review, Hartskill Review, Boston Accent, NewVerse News, Soul-Lit, 300 Days of Sun, Capsule Stories, Isolation Edition, Capsule Stories, Autumn 2020, and Capsule Stories, Winter 2020, Writing it Real, and the Journal of Expressive Writing.

Simmons grew up in Boston and now resides in California—both coasts inform her poetry.
Picture

about the book

Picture
 


This collection of free-verse poetry travels, along with the author, across her lifetime—from high school through college and graduate school, past marriage, divorce, and the death of a parent, deep into raising children, always finding a new path of understanding and deeply thinking about the inner and external worlds.

There is an element of “exclaiming” in these offertories, an understanding that even imbalance can bring about a new equilibrium in one's life. These poems are declarations of how the author has found truth through observations and language.

​Starting with the imagery of bridges, the poetry moves through the terrain of mythology, of landscapes, of train rides, of seasons, of loss, of hope, and finally, of understanding how one comes to see one's life as a series of crossings and intersections.

  • Barbara recently was named first place winner of the San Jose Public Library "Spring into Poetry 2022" Contest for her poem "Weeding" which appears in Offertories.
  • Barbara's poem "Confessions of a Non-Swimmer" appears in the Capsule Stories Summer 2022 Edition: Swimming - book and ebook editions available!
You can find it here:  
  • Amazon (paperback and ebook, affiliate link): https://amzn.to/3yYYSTE
  • Barnes & Noble (paperback and ebook): https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/capsule-stories-summer-2022-edition-carolina-vonkampen/1141758340
  • Kobo (ebook): https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/capsule-stories-summer-2022-edition 


Barbara's poem, "A few of Judy Chicago's Favorite Things", appears in the new anthology from Oprelle Publications, Matter II: Volume I.  Read what the editor's comments are:

Your poem, A few of Judy Chicago’s favorite things, was one of our very best. You are soon to be published for the first time, or possibly in yet another great book, “Matter – 2021 Edition.” This is quite an incredible honor, considering the competition was particularly intense this year. Your poem will keep company with many fantastic works from poets all over the globe.
We really enjoyed the intellect and the depth in your writing. The interplay between the title and the last line was brilliant. Lines like  - "including oh so many who’d not been on invitation lists before – women, artists, ones deserving of a place to sit." will not soon be forgotten. Thank you for submitting this.

My poem "Sweeping, Not Swept Away" will appear in the Fall/Winter 2023 issue of Soul-Lit.  It was inspired by a photo by Judy Dater from the Hella Feminism! Art Exhibit at the Oakland Museum of Art in late 2022.

Another new piece of writing, "Color of the Year ~ Viva Magenta", will appear online on January 1, 2023, on Topical Poetry (topicalpoetry.com) - a website that concentrates on poems written about current societal, political issues.


And, a wonderful anthology,
The Who Am I Today?: 40 Women Answer the Question Anthology, appears NOW on several book distribution sites (Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop IndieBound, and AbeBooks.  In it, a lyrical essay of mine answering the question "Who am I today?" poses questions about what I can see, what I've seen, and how I hope to continue to explore the 'I' whom I'm still learning about - envisioning a world that will hopefully hold itself together with our collective love.


bookstore

"Don’t miss out on this journey! You won’t regret it, I promise you."
​
                    ~ LeMel Firestone-Palerm, LMFT, and fellow poet on the path.

Get Your Copy

Picture

eBook

iTunes
Google

Print

Friesenpress
Amazon
Indigo

get in touch

    leave a comment, question or review

    ​

Submit
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.