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Esther Backman is a 10-year-old homeschooler currently finishing 5th grade. Having recently discovered a passion and talent for writing, she enjoys penning poems and short stories about life, nature, and horses. She lives with her family in Philadelphia, PA, and is proud to present her very first published work.

Sam Barbee’s newest collection is Apertures of Voluptuous Force (2022, Redhawk Publishing). He served as President of the Winston-Salem Writers, and also NC Poetry Society; and is one of the originators of Poetry In Plain Sight—now in its fourteenth year—a poetry initiative featuring NC poets on broadside posters and display them in NC towns statewide. His poems currently appear in Cave Wall, Asheville Poetry Review, and The Anthology of Appalachian Writers (WV).

Jenny Bates, seven poetry books, published in numerous NC and international journals. Presented at the 2023 Ecopoetics and Environmental Aesthetics Conference, London. ESSENTIAL, Redhawk Publications 2023: nominee Pushcart Prize 2024. Her poem, “Virga” Honorable Mention in 2025 Pinseong Awards, was also included in If I had a Dove (Redhawk Publications 2025) Anthology will help with hurricane and flood relief efforts. Jenny has been featured on NPR’s Dante’s Old South with Clifford Brooks, 2025.

Donna Beal is a writer from Hayesville, NC. Donna retired from a career in financial services. She has numerous publications in various literary journals and is a member of the SistaWRITE network of women poets founded by NC Poet Laureate Jaki Shelton Green. Donna is also a member of the NC Poetry Society and the NC Writer’s Network-West.

Glenda C. Beall writes poetry, nonfiction and fiction. She teaches writing on Zoom from her home in Roswell, GA. Her poetry book, Now Might as Well Be Then, was published by Finishing Line Press in 2009. She and the late Estelle Rice published Paws, Claws, Hooves, Feathers and Fins, about animals they have known. She published a family history book and still works on genealogy when she has the time. https://www.glendacouncilbeall.com

S. G. (Sandy) Benson’s articles and stories have appeared in magazines and newspapers nationwide since 1971. She published her first book, My Mother’s Keeper: One Family’s Journey Through Dementia in 2021 and her second book, Dear Folks, a collection of her dad’s letters home during WWII, in 2024. She is currently working on a collection of short stories. Her Substack newsletter https://sgb212739.substack.com/ invites readers to share their own experiences. She lives near Warne, NC.

Kerri Habben Bosman is a writer living in Cape Carteret, NC. She is a graduate of Peace College and North Carolina State University. Her work has been included in the News and Observer and regularly appears in publications throughout the US and Canada.

Barbara Brooks, a Pushcart nominee, the author of the chapbooks The Catbird Sang, A Shell to Return to the Sea, and Water Colors is a retired physical therapist. Her work has appeared in Knee Brace Press, Remington Review, Silkworm, Backchannels among others. She lives with her dog, Ricki, in Hillsborough, NC.

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Nancy Sales Cash came home to the mountains of western North Carolina after living in far-flung places around the globe. Retired from an international multi-media career, she lives in Asheville NC with a sweet rescued dog and a mischievous cat. 

Caroline Cottom’s poetry appears in numerous journals and anthologies, including Main Street Rag, Kakalak, Silk Road, and Glassworks. Her poem, “Cypress, Left Standing,” first appeared in Schuylkill Valley Journal. Her poetry collection, Asylum, recounts her mother's life as a sharecropper's daughter. Caroline's books include a memoir, Love Changes Things even in the World of Politics, and The Isle of Is: A Guide to Awakening, co-authored with husband Thom Cronkhite. Caroline lives in Greensboro, NC.

Eloise Currie’s publishing credits include pieces in the Personal Story Publishing Project, Fall 2024, Personal Story Publishing Project, Spring 2025, and Old Mountain Press Mountain Lakes, 2025 anthologies. She has edited books as well as short stories. Eloise lives in Raleigh, NC.

Steve Cushman is writer living in Greensboro, NC. He has published novels and poetry collections, and his favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip!

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Tom Davis’ publishing credits include Poets Forum, The Caroli­na Runner, Triathlon Today, Georgia Athlete, The Fayetteville Observer’s Saturday Extra, A Loving Voice Vol. I and II, Special Warfare., and Winston-Salem Writers’ POETRY IN PLAIN SIGHT program for May 2013 (poetry month). He’s authored the following books: The Life and Times of Rip Jackson, The Most Fun I Ever Had With My Clothes On, The Patrol Order; and The R-complex. www.oldmp.com/e-book Tom lives in Webster, NC.

Suzanne Delaney is a Retired RN. Born in Australia, she lived in the Hawaiian Islands for 40 yrs and now lives in NC. Her favorite hobbies, include watercolor, mixed media and collage. A regular contributor to OMP, her poems are also included in Poems of Nature, Enchantment and Mystery. by Carol Mays and Suzanne Delaney. PS: It’s Poetry. and PS: It’s Still Poetry. - An Anthology of Contemporary Poetry from Around the World Paperback. also Radiant Verses All are available on Amazon.com

Nancy Dillingham is a sixth-generation Dillingham from the community of Dillingham in the Big Ivy of WNC. Her recent publications include No Time Like the Present: A Memoir in Essays, Curves: Collected Stories, After Helene, On Love: Collected Poems, and On Music: Collected Poems. Her 2010 poetry collection Home was nominated for a Southern Independent Booksellers’ Alliance Award. She lives in Asheville, NC.

Sandra Dillingham’s work has appeared in Victoria Press and the anthology It’s All Relative: Tales from the Tree from 50 WNC Women.  Sandra was the editor of Haywood Press at Haywood Community College for five years.  Sandra lives in Asheville, NC.

David Dixon is a physician, poet, and musician who lives and practices in the foothills of North Carolina.  His work has appeared in Rock & Sling, The Northern Virginia Review, Connecticut River Review, Bear Paw Arts Journal, The Greensboro Review, Kakalak, Atlanta Review and elsewhere. He is the author of The Scattering of Saints (Hermit Feathers Press, 2022).

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Kathy Ellis has three collections of poetry on Amazon and Barnes and Nobles. Kathy’s poetry  has won several awards and honorable mentions in addition to being published in several journals and anthologies. Kathy is an intercultural communication trainer and works with second language speakers on job search skills and test preparation. Kathy recently moved from Atlanta to Pensacola with her two multilingual cats.

Terri Kirby Erickson of Pfafftown, NC, is the author of eight full-length collections of poetry, including The Light That Follows Us Home, (Press 53, Fall 2026). Her awards include the International Book Award for Poetry, Joy Harjo Poetry Prize, and the Annals of Internal Medicine Poetry Prize, among many others. Her work has been widely published in literary journals, anthologies, magazines, and newspapers.

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Dena M. Ferrari is a regular contributor to OMP, Dena’s poetry are featured in Westchester Community College of NY Phoenix (1975), Writers Alliance Poets World-Wide anthologies has many of her published works. Dena’s own books, Poems From the Hearth (2010) Come Closer My Dearies (2013), Charmed Times Three (2015), and her newest book Wyld Earth Magick (2018) shows diversified writing styles, leaving a Living Legacy for her grandchildren. She and her husband, Peter, live in Vass, NC.

Alan C. Frutchey is a former contributor to the OMP Anthology series. He grew up in the Northeast and Midwest.  Married 52 years and living in Woodstock Georgia, he spent his career in technology.  Je is your typical “renaissance man”, loving music, art and the outdoors over sports.  He is now retired and enjoys writing and playing classical guitar.

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Bob Garrett is an avid outdoorsman. He lives in Sylvester, GA. He is a former contributor to this anthology series.

James Gibson, a native Tennessean, private pilot, scuba diver, and auto industry retiree, is happily retired in Northville, Michigan. His first five novels featured Native American culture in the “Anasazi Quest” series. Searching with Pei for the Meaning of Life was published in 2016 based on his experiences living in Taiwan. His eighth novel, To Live or Die in Taiwan was published in 2018.

Linda M. Gifford lives with her husband on 37 acres within the Nantahala National Forest, north of Murphy NC. She has written many poems reflecting this new chapter of their lives, which appear in her collection titled Rocky Knob Cove, which is also what they named their place. Dozens of her poems and essays have been published in anthologies including Old Mountain Press.

Marian Gowan is a regular contributor to Old Mountain Press anthologies. During her sixteen years living in western NC, her work appeared in several southern publications.  She returned to western NY in 2017 to be near family.

Anne Gruner is a two-time Pushcart nominee whose work has appeared in numerous print and on-line publications. Her poetry can be found in Amsterdam Quarterly Review, Beltway Poetry Quarterly, Wayfarer Magazine, New Verse News, Humans of the World, Spillwords, Written Tales, and others. Her poem, “Once Upon a Raven,” was read at the 2024 Poetry Downtown Festival in Baltimore. Anne lives in McLean, VA with her husband and two golden retrievers. www.annegruner.com

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Mary Ellen Hammond lives in Swain County, NC. For 27 years she was co-founder and editor at Milestone Press, now a part of The University of Georgia Press. Her articles, essays, and poetry have appeared in regional and national publications including WNC Magazine, Our State Magazine, Welcome Home, Senior Hiker, and The Wall Street Journal. In 2024 she was named an emerging poet in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Gilbert–Chappell Distinguished Poet Series.

Debbie Hooper travels and writes poetry to go along with her professional aerial and nature photography. This will be her tenth time in this Old Mountain Press Anthology. You can see her photography on her website www.JoeBay.com under Portfolio. She and her husband have finished their house in Andrews, NC.

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Terri Ingalls has worked as a flight attendant, travel agent, media buyer, professional actor, storyteller, and tour guide. Her first novel, Butterfly Wings was launched in 2025 and her second book, Looking for a Pony: My Life in Poetry and Prose, is scheduled to launch summer of 2026. She holds a Theatre degree from the University of California, San Diego, and lives in Mount Airy, NC.

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Bonnie Johnson is nurse healer, writer and author of THREE TURNS OF THE KALEIDOSCOPE: Healing the Victim Within and a children’s book What Would You Do If Sammy Hit You? aired on Alabama Public Radio. Her work has appeared in Old Mountain Press anthologies and the SUN magazine.  She writes poems for fun and is currently writing a memoir centered on her relationship to her spirited Scot Irish grandfather. Bonnie lives in Nashville, TN.

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Jo Koster has taught writing and medieval literature at Winthrop University for 32 years. This summer she will retire to have more time for writing, her cats Simon and Sampson, and for (finally) cleaning out her email.

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Patsy Kennedy Lain continues to reside in Hubert, North Carolina near the Crystal Coast with children's short stories published in a local anthology and newspaper.  She has over 40 poems published in Old Mountain Press Anthologies and a few magazines.  Patsy has published four poetry collections Backroads, Flashbacks, Blended and Growing Old Cracks You up, she published two short story collections Smorsgasbord and Mishmash, plus seven children's books.  Currently she is working on other writings.  Patsy continues to write, paint and receive awards for her writing as well as paintings.

Brenda Kay Ledford resides in Clay County, North Carolina. Her work has appeared in all of the Old Mountain Press anthologies. She’s a retired educator, award-winning author, poet, and storyteller. Ledford blogs at: http://blueridgepoet.blogspot.com .

K. A. Lewis writes poetry, micro prose, fantasy, and speculative fiction. Since 2014, her work has been published over forty anthologies, most recently Fall for You, In the Yard II, Mountain Lakes, The Eagle and the Maple, Bards Poetica, Eastern Sea Bards, NoVA Bards 2025, Gathering 2025, and Dawn Horizons. Katy and her husband live with four demanding cats in a small book-stuffed house in Falls Church, VA. Learn more at: KA-Lewis.com

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Valerie Macon is a writer for Suburban Living Magazine who finds stories and poetry in life’s encounters, conversations, and quiet details. She sings with the Fuquay-Varina Chorale and helps steward a garden that donates its harvest to feed those in need.

Preston Martin has published poems in numerous journals and anthologies. He facilitates classes in poetry and literature at Duke Continuing Education. He lives in Chapel Hill, NC.

Nancy Martin-Young lives on the side of a mountain overlooking a lake. There she writes poetry, short stories, and novels when not walking her needy but adorable dogs along with the guy who’s been at her side since they were seventeen.

Todd W. McKinley lives in South Burlington, VT, spending time outside, biking, hiking, and paddling.  He holds a doctorate in Literacy Education, and he has been a middle level educator since 1996. Todd shares his passion for writing with colleagues at conferences and writing retreats while advocating for literacy education as a curriculum coordinator. Todd’s work appears in various New England journals, crafting new poems each morning to explore connections to the natural world.

Beth McNichol writes from her attic in Raleigh, N.C., surrounded by hand-me-down furniture that no one else wanted. They inspired this issue’s poem. This is her sixth OMP anthology entry, and she has published two prose pieces in County Lines: A Literary Journal.

Cindy Mernin, by profession a registered nurse, spent her first twenty-five years on the east coast, middle fifty years out west, and returned east to Asheville, NC. An unpublished writer but  avid reader, she edited and assisted in the publication of her husband’s Yellowstone Ranger.

Celia Miles, a Jackson Country native, lives and writes in Asheville. A retired community college instructor, she is the author of twelve novels(sweet romance, historical, cozy grist mill mysteries, and three ‘stand alone’ novels set in Appalachia and Scotland, as well as two short story collections and two textbooks. She co-edited four anthologies of western North Carolina writers and writes an occasional poem. www.celiamiles.com

Mona Miracle, born in Kentucky, was thrust onto Florida beaches at seven, but settled into her mountain forever-home in Asheville in 1989.  She was a featured presenter at South Florida Poetry Society, and a four-category winner in Florida Freelance Writers Annual Competition.  She earned degrees at Univ. of Florida and Nova Univ.  Among her books at Amazon is the novel Wesley’s Gift, set in Asheville, Charlotte, and Tokyo, Japan. www.monaraemiracle.com

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Bev Ohler is an artist/theater designer, teacher, and mother who loves to write. She  grew up in the North, but lived most of her life in North Carolina, working at Warren Wilson College. She has published seven books and written in many forms of publication for the college and for herself. Bev currently lives in Black Mountain with her dog, Callie.

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Susan Palmer is a poet and playwright living in Burlington Vermont. She has had her writing published in The Sun Magazine and has had several plays selected for The Middlebury New Play Festival as well as being a semi-finalist in The Neil LaBute New Play Festival. Her works has been produced and performed in the United States. She currently teaches poetry, creative writing and playwriting at Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans, Vermont.

David W. Plunkett is a poet and novelist living in Young Harris, GA. His poetry has appeared in 13 previous issues of Old Mountain Press anthologies.

Nancy Posey is a poet, writer, and teacher enlivened by her poetry community. She is co-host of Black Dog Poetry Open Mic, a monthly remote event for poets around the world. Based in Nashville, she finds there is a fine line—if any line at all— between poetry and lyrics.

Michael Potts, Professor of Philosophy at Methodist University in Fayetteville, North Carolina, has authored numerous books of poetry, fiction, and nonfiction. He lives with his wife, Karen, and many cats in Coats, North Carolina.

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Sheilah Queen lives in Murphy, NC with her husband and dog. She is a mother of four and a grandmother of seven. She did not begin writing until after her retirement. Since then, she has received awards from the Cherokee County Silver Arts contest. Most recently, her work was included in the Gilmer County anthology, Where the Mountains Speak. She attributes her love of storytelling to her grandparents.

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Mary Ricketson loves being a new grandmother and plays peek a boo on facetime calls. She is thrilled with nature, growing food and flowers at her home in Hanging Dog, and her long career helping people as a mental health counselor. She is the author of nine books of poetry, including Shade and Shelter, Lira, Precious the Mule, Stutters, and Tall Flowers and Living Long. www.maryricketson.com

R. Lee Riley is a member of Winston Salem Writers, with work appearing in Volumes 3 and 10 of its Flying South anthology series and Poetry in Plain Sight program. He’s additionally been published in previous anthologies of Old Mountain Press. He’s also a working voice actor for audiobooks on Audible. Lee lives in Salisbury, NC and has earned multiple gold and silver medals for his poetry in Rowan County’s Silver Arts Festival

Joyce Rose was a classroom teacher and a computer teacher. She taught poetry to her students and published their work in the local  paper. She was a docent at three museums in San Francisco, the Asian Art Museum and the two Fine Arts Museums. She has traveled around the world..

Maria Rouphail served as the Gilbert-Chappell Distinguished Poet for Central NC in 2024-5. She is the author of four poetry collections. An emeritus faculty member from NC State, Rouphail lives in Raleigh.

Dwight Roth is a retired elementary school teacher of 29 years, who grew up in the mountains of Southwestern Pennsylvania. His work appears in several Old Mountain Press anthologies. He has self- published four memoirs and several books of poetry, as well as children’s books. Some of his e-books books are published on Amazon Kindle. Dwight and his wife Ruth live near Monroe, NC. He writes regularly on his poetry blog: https://rothpoetry.wordpress.com

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Garry Schaedel lives in Burlington, VT. He worked many years in Public Health. In 2014, He was the sole recipient of the American Academy of Pediatrics National Child Health Advocate Award. He has published a memoir, Dreams and Mirrors. He is a runner and has been published in VT Sports Magazine. He was published in the MT Business Journal, and in VT Digger.

Paul Sherman enjoys hiking and exploring national parks and wildlife reserves with a pair of binoculars and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The further away from crowds the better. Often he forgets the bug spray. He reads and writes and lives in Burnsville, NC.

Jane Shlensky believes in the healing powers of water—pool, lake, river, ocean, faucet. She holds an MFA from UNC-Greensboro. Her work has been nominated for a Pushcart four times for poetry and once for fiction. Her recent poetry and fiction have appeared in a number of magazines and anthologies, including Pinesong, Kakalak, moonShine review, NCLR. Her chapbook is Barefoot on Gravel.

Elaina Stone has published works included in Shemom, Building Blocks, and The Jewish Press. She is a lover of all things poetry and enjoys being outside.  She has a Master’s Degree and works as a reading specialist for children with special needs.  She currently resides in Rochester, NY.

 

Lois Greene Stone, writer and poet, has been syndicated worldwide. Poetry and personal essays have been included in hard & softcover book anthologies. Collections of her personal items/ photos/ memorabilia are in major museums including twelve different divisions of The Smithsonian. The Smithsonian selected only her photo to represent all teens from the 1950's; a large showcase in its National Museum of American History featured her photo, hand-designed clothing, and her costume sketches. ‘Girlhood’ exhibit opened 10-2020 and then toured from Jan. 2023 to 2025.

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Carroll S. Taylor, a retired educator, is a writer, poet, and playwright. She is the author of two young adult novels, Chinaberry Summer and Chinaberry Summer: On the Other Side, and two children’s books, Feannag the Crow and Ella’s Quilt. In 2024, she published her first poetry collection, Facing Toward the East. Her third children’s book, Feannag the Crow Book 2, was published in April 2026. She and her husband live in Hiawassee, GA.

Rebekah Timms lives in Greenwood, SC, about fifteen miles from where she was born. After retirement, she published a memoir and two poetry collections. She feels that her continued writing is an expression of her gratitude and joy of life. She has been a regular contributor to OMP Anthologies since 2016.

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Wayne A. Vander Byl lives in Williamson, NY. Wayne’s short plays have been selected by the Wayne (County, NY) Writers Guild for their community play writing events in 2024, 2025 and 2026. His epilogue for a one-act play by William S. Gilbert was performed by the Off-Monroe Players of Rochester, NY, in 2024. One of Wayne’s poems was published in the Summer 2025 edition of The Bond Street Review.

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Elizabeth B. Watson aka Betty regularly contributes short stories and poetry to anthologies like Old Mountain Press. A writer for decades without assistance from AI, Betty never suffers from writer’s block. She  considers writing letters an art form sadly fast becoming obsolete. The Watsons’ address is a retirement community in Greenville, SC. Origianlly from MA, they’ve lived in southern states for thrity-five years and proudly admit to be the elders of four generations.

William Wehunt, a peripatetic Appalachian-born Zen Buddhist edits, writes copy, news and for poetry journals (thank you, OMP). He wants to thank: Buddha, Hui Neng and Rinzai; his sweetheart Denise, his cat Yuki, his parents; Nam Vets; Yeats, Frost, Snyder, Guy Lail and more; Jefferson, Uecker, Dave Bowman, Rabelais, Mencken, HS Thompson, Kerouac, Emerson, PK Dick, RD Laing, Diogenes, the Greeks, Yes, Metheny and the I Ching: all of whom inspire. Find at decemberfan.wordpress.com.

Pediatrician Kelley White has worked in inner-city Philadelphia and rural New Hampshire. Her poems have appeared in Exquisite Corpse, Rattle and JAMA. Her most recent collection is A Field Guide to Northern Tattoos (Main Street Rag Press.) She received a 2008 Pennsylvania Council on the Arts grant and is currently Poet in Residence at Drexel University College of Medicine. Her newest collection, NO.HOPE STREET was published by Kelsay Books.

Barbara Ledford Wright is a retired educator and award-winning author. She is a graduate of Gardner Webb University and writes about nature and her experience living on a farm in the Blue Ridge Mountains. Wright was associate editor of Moonshine and Blind Mules. Her work has appeared in many print and online journals including: The Best of North Georgia Mountains, Muscadine Lines: A Southern Journal, Kaleidoscope, Yesterday's Magazette, 57 Old Mountain Press anthologies, and many other publications. She’s residing with her sister in Clay County, NC.  Y

Karen Yankosky published Good Luck With That Thing You’re Doing, a collection of humor essays, and used to write a blog called Splatospheric. She practices law but is otherwise a decent human being and lives in Arlington, VA, with her partner and three cat overlords.

L. J. Yankosky is a corporate innovator, former professional athlete, full-time dad and coach. He resides in Fairfax, VA, and is the father of two aspiring athletes.  Outside of work, you’ll likely find him on a ball field, court, his garden or trying to draw.

C. Pleasants York of Sanford, NC, is a wordsmith, a scribe and a wanderer. She made a trip to Hickam Field on Oahu where her uncle, Winfred Raymond Key collected seashells during World War II. She is writing a book called In the Shadow of the War about her father and uncle and their journey as soldiers from London to Berlin during World War II. 

Tanya K Young received first prize in the 2025 Malovrh-Fenlon Poetry Contest, sponsored by Orchard Street Press, LTD. She is a member of Wildacres Writers of Asheville, NC; Fla. Writers and Poets Association and published in Kakalak, Swwim, Persimmon Tree, Fla. Poets Cadence, Fla. Bards Anthology, Old Mountain Press Anthology, Mobius, Magazine1 and Yellow Arrow Publishing. She lives in Sarasota, Fla.