Lisa

I was born in Marshall Missouri on July 8, 1967. I had written the poem 'The Prayer' when I was 18 years old. Before that there are only a couple of poems I had written in high school that were published in the local paper and plastered on Grandma and Grandpa Howery's refridgerator (my proudest moments). These are the only writing qualifications I had.After Marshall High School ' I won 1988 Honorable Mention and the 1988 Golden Poet Award for the poem 'Times Of Wine'. I then won the 1989 Honorable Mention and the 1989 Golden Poet Award for 'The Prayer'. Both of these awards were through The World Of Poetry located in Sacremento CA. Both of these poems were published in the then current books being published by The World Of Poetry.In 1997 I entered the poem 'Baren At Sea' in The National Library of Poetry contest. I won the Editor's Choice Award and the poem was published in a book called "Dance Upon the Shore".In 2004 I entered another contest with The National Library of Poetry and again won the Editor's Choice Award for a poem entitled 'Whispers'. I was included as one of 33 poets whose artisry were recorded professionally as a special part of a new CD poetry collection - "The Sound of Poetry". It was released as a 33-track, three-album CD set.I am very blessed that every time I have thrown a poem out there I have been published. Many people wait very long periods just to be published. One girl who touched my heart the most when it came to poetry was Denise Pollard of Missouri. She didn't write poetry herself but she hand copied everyone else's poetry into her own journals because of her love of poetry (just to be writing the words of poetry, how humble). I never felt that I loved poetry as much as she did to be able to do such a thing of someone else's writing. I don't think I could deserve to be a wrtier unless I could love poetry the way she does. I really don't have that kind of love for poetry or qualifications. I just write what comes to me from the heart.