Dana Wildsmith lives with her husband Don on a farm in the toe of the Appalachian range in north Georgia. She teaches English to non-native English speakers; her students being one of the greatest delights of my life. She is the author of seven books of poetry and one novel. Her environmental memoir, Back to Abnormal: Surviving with an Old Farm in the New South, was a finalist for Georgia Author of the Year. She is widely published in both literary and commercial journals and has served writer-in-residence at several national parks.
What past event do you often reflect upon, and how did that event change you?
In 2010, I spent the month of April working as artist-in-residence for Grand Canyon National Park. As part of my public outreach, I hiked down to Phantom Ranch at the base of the canyon where I spent two nights and gave a reading to park visitors. The hike down was the hardest hike I have ever managed, the dark sky was a profound gift, and otherworldliness of that deep place informed my writing in a way that perhaps nothing else has. Hiking back up was like being reborn.
How does your work add to the quality of your life?
Right now I am the sole caregiver for my Navy veteran husband, who has Parkinson’s from Agent Orange exposure. After fearing I should give up trying to find the time or energy to write, I made the wildly illogical decision to join The Stafford Challenge to write a poem a day for a year. Nearly three months into the challenge, each day’s very early start with a poem keeps me believing in myself as a writer.
Tell us a story you would like to share with the world.
I have written in poetry and prose about almost burning to death when I was fourteen. What I think I’ve never really described is what it was like to be enveloped in flame. I remember looking out through a caul of fire. I was not afraid. I was part of something that was not life, nor death.
Author photo: Courtesy of author
Side bar image: Pixabay/Edar
