Poetry

Today, I sent five poems to Accents Publishing, which is seeking submissions for an anthology of very short poetry. (less than fifty words) They are also accepting full length manuscript submissions. You can find more information at http://accents-publishing.com/news.html.

A year or so ago, I put together a manuscript of fifty poems I am calling How To Build a Better Mousetrap: Reflections and Recollections of a Family Caregiver. I sent this to several manuscript contests, but it hasn’t won yet. Last month, I found a list of small presses in The Writer, and I plan to see if one of them would be interested in publishing it.

I am President of WyoPoets, an organization that promotes poetry in the state of Wyoming by holding annual workshops and encouraging poetry celebrations throughout the state. Please visit our Web site at http://www.wyopoets.org/where you will find information about upcoming contests and events and resources for poets. If you’re not a poet, you might still enjoy the site since it contains poetry from its members from time to time.

Abbie Johnson Taylor

Author of We Shall Overcome

http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com

abbie@samobile.net

Visually Impaired Support Group

 

As I said in my last post, I facilitate a support group for the visually impaired. We meet on the fourth Tuesday of the month, and most of the participants are senior citizens. This past Tuesday, a local optometrist spoke briefly and answered questions. He had a lot of information about cataracts, macular degeneration, and other eye inflictions, and participants had a lot of questions. The meeting lasted a little over half an hour.

We won’t meet in November or December because of the closeness of the regular meeting dates to the holidays. In December, those of us who are available will try to get together for lunch. In January, a local ophthalmologist will be available at our meeting to answer questions, and in February, a vendor will demonstrate hand held and desktop magnifiers.

Abbie Johnson Taylor

Author of We Shall Overcome

http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com

Introduction

Welcome to my corner of the world. For years, I've been blogging on the samobile network, a specialized Web venue for the blind and visually impaired. After seeing other blogs here, I decided to try blogspot in the hope that it will give me more blogging options and a wider audience. As you've probably guessed by now, I'm visually impaired. I can see people and things if they're close enough, and I can detect colors. I use a white cane when walking around town, and my computer has screen reading software that allows me to type and navigate independently. I also use a desktop magnifier at home and a portable unit when I'm out and about.

I live in Sheridan, Wyoming, and for the past few years, I've been writing full time. My husband Bill, who I married in September of 2005, is partially paralyzed as a result of two strokes he suffered after we were married. When I'm not writing or caring for my better half, I facilitate a support group for the visually impaired, sing in a women's barber-shop choir, and participate in water exercise classes at the YMCA.

My novel, We Shall Overcome, was published in July of 2007 by iUniverse. My short stories have appeared in Emerging Voices and Disability Studies Quarterly. My poems have appeared in Distant Horizons, Wyoming Fence Lines, and Voicings from the High Country. My creative nonfiction pieces have appeared in SageScript, and Christmas in the Country. I hope to eventually publish a book of poems and perhaps a collection of memoirs and a book of short stories.

Please visit my Web site at http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/ to learn more about me and sample my work. You will also find an excerpt and review of We Shall Overcome and links to several on line retailers where the book can be purchased in print and ebook formats. If you are, like me, visually impaired or have difficulty reading books for other reasons, there are two accessible ways you can access We Shall Overcome. If you use talking books, your local library should be able to access it on cassette from the Utah State Library. If you prefer an electronic format that can be transfered to a Victor reader or other such device, you can mail me a check for $6.00, and I'll e-mail you the book in doc, rtf, or txt format. On My Web site, you will also find a link to e-mail me, and a link to my personal page which contains my samobile Web site and links to my blog, bookmarks, and news interests on the network. If I decide I like blogspot better than the samobile blogging option, I may eliminate that link. Thank you for visiting my corner of the world.

Abbie Johnson Taylor
Author of We Shall Overcome
http://www.abbiejohnsontaylor.com/.