Hear me read poems from Biting the Apple on Dave Congalton's show, Oct 3, 2013

http://edbroadcasters.com/podcasts/congalton/10-03-13.mp3

Biting The Apple

As part of the Next Big Thing Interview Project, I answer their questions about my book.

What is the working title of your book of poems?

Biting The Apple

at Amazon.com

Where did the idea come from for the book?

In preparing childhood poems for a chapbook, I saw the arc of my life, a self becoming a self. The poem "Twelve Years Old, 1952" ends with my biting an apple. All of us leave the garden of innocence and I wanted to share my journey.

 What actors would you choose to play the part of your character in a movie rendition?

I'd love Quvenzhané Wallis to play me as a child and Diane Keaton to portray me as an adult.

What is the one sentence synopsis of your book?

Biting The Apple is a poetry memoir, spanning 70 years of one woman's journey,

that speaks with humor and pathos to the universal loss of innocence.

How long did it take you to write the first draft of the manuscript?

The poems emerged randomly over several years.

Who or what inspired you to write this book?

I've written fiction and essays, and became passionate about writing poems because they keep me present and alert to my life and satisfy me. I was delighted when they came together as a book I didn't realize I was writing. 

Who published your book?

Penciled In published my book in December 2012. It's available at penciledin.com and at Amazon.

What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?

I'll let a reader, Ivon B. Blum say it for me: Jeanie's poems may start in her bright, nimble mind but all are gently filtered through her loving, caring heart. These poems are a joy to read and screen through one's own emotional core. Not just a one-time read. A lifetime keeper.