Poetry. "To read Barbara Thomas's poetry," writes Lauren Kaushansky, "is to find oneself roaming a landscape of elegant and poignant images full of children, nature, loss, celebration and acute observation. She 'dives into daily life,' discovering long buried memories and surprising, unpredictable moments. She makes the fleeting moment precious. A true poet, Ms Thomas allows us glimpses into her life as intimate and intricate as a Vermeer painting. Nothing escapes her eye as she captures a delightful 'parade of small things,' weaving ancestral yarns throughout her book. She has the 'spirit of a hummingbird' flittering from moment to moment. Each page of poetry is filled with luscious vocabulary, delicious, unusually personal and yet, universal life events. Her poetic images and storytelling are like a gift from a dear friend, 'too beautiful to turn away.'"

Author City: KALISPELL, MT USA

Barbara L. Thomas is a non-tribal Eastern Cherokee (her mother's people having escaped the Trail of Tears to settle in southern Illinois near Shawnee Town). She was born high in the Cascades in 1927; in her teens was the recipient of a generous Lanham Foundation College Scholarship. She came to poetry late, past sixty. Her first book, Lilacs Wilting on Nancy's Bonnet: A Cherokee Narrative, was nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and the Bumbershoot Literary Award, 2001.