We've Got Poets ... WooHoo!

Hello everyone. I hope you have all had an enjoyable and relaxing holiday season. I know I sure have. I am pleased to report that two poets have agreed to participate in the book project.

The first is Roderick Bates of Chester:

Roderick (Rick) Bates is a Vermont native whose family has lived in the same house in Chester for the past four generations. He has supervised the Brattleboro Probation and Parole office since 1982. He began writing poetry in high school, and became serious about it several years ago when, at his wife’s urging, he joined a writing group in Walpole, NH. He also writes essays, and has won an award from the International Regional Magazines Association for an essay published in Vermont Life. He has a degree in Religion from Dartmouth. He has published poems on the web at Poets Against The War, in VT Folkus, and in Naugatuck River Review.

The other is Lauren Young from here in Enosburg:

Lauren lives here with her husband, Robert. In 1996 she received a diploma from the Institute of Children's Literature for completing the course of study for writing for children and teenagers.

She says that it is her mission, her passion to write, and write she does! She owns a company called "Lauren's Lyrics" and creates greeting cards and writes custom orders of poetry. Her poetry runs through her photography. Every picture tells a story, be it simple or complex. It is life.

Lauren's Lyrics flows through her veins. Writing for Lauren is an emotional high that whets her appetite, causing insatiable hunger, which is temporarily sated with each new story or poem. She has two childrens books that have been published and she hopes to, in the near future, publish a book of her poetry.

I am extremely happy that Rick and Lauren have agreed to work on this project. Their writings will certainly help us to share life in these "Mountains of Vermont."

Looking for a Poet

Good morning everyone. I hope everyone had a fantastic weekend. One of the ideas that I am planning to use in the book is to separate the writings with photos, poetry and a little history. I am really thinking that I would like to include some older historic photos of Vermont mixed with present-day photos of the Green Mountains. And I want to highlight the works of a poet who lives in Vermont and writes poetry about life in Vermont which will quite nicely integrate with the other writings in the book. I am looking for someone who is willing to be involved for the love of writing and for the love of the state as that is an underlying theme of the book project. If this poet is you or is someone you know please let me know. If you have a photo that you think the book should not be without I look forward to your message as well. More over the next few days … Stay tuned.

Welcome to My "On Vermont Time..." the Book Blog

Good afternoon everyone:

I want welcome you all to my "On Vermont Time..." the Book blog. I have been writing "On Vermont Time..." over the last few years about the little community I live in - Enosburg Falls, VT. In fact, this is the description that I wrote on the first ever article I put on my website - This is the first in a series of stories about the little Green Mountain Village of Enosburg Falls, Vermont tucked in the northern portion of the state, just 7 miles from the Canadian Border. I hope you find the time to come and visit our little village and spend a little while "On Vermont Time." If you can't come to us...I hope these stories bring us a little closer to you and provide you with some relaxing enjoyment.

Now what I have decided to do is to take the articles I've written and put them into book form so they are all together and then wanting to include some other stories from around our little part of Vermont, I decided to ask the family of my good friend Lou Hill if I could include some of his writings in the book as well. You see Lou died a few years ago but I really want the stories that he told over the years to live on. His wife Gwen and his daughter Lesli have graciously allowed me to include his stories as well.

My plan is to also include some photos from Vermont, some poetry and who knows what else. I will use the blog to keep you posted as to what's being included next. So far I have described the book as a collection of: Musings, Essays, Short Stories, Poems and Photos ... All depicting a little bit about life in the Green Mountains of Vermont.