Poem Published in Vita Poetica

Posted byJean Anne FeldeisenPosted inUncategorizedTags:, , , ,

The first section of a longer poem was published in this small online journal. The poem is called “from whence salvation.” The editor didn’t want the whole poem, and I had to decide whether to have part of the poem published, which meant that I couldn’t publish the rest. But any publishing is better than none, so I agreed. This first section is a colorful vignette of my childhood Sunday mornings and the values I was taught there. Read my portion of this journal and see what they’re up to by clicking here.

My “Chicken Soup for the Soul” story, The Budgerigar, and The Bald Spot, was featured on their podcast this week. You can listen to a narrated version (not my words, exactly) here.

Argy and I are excited to have the second printing of Catching Fireflies in hand.

Catching Fireflies is a collection of twenty poems and images riffing on the seasons in Maine. The book is suitable for all ages. It is printed on heavy paper and the images are beautifully rendered. This book would make a lovely holiday gift for someone or just because.

My friend Argy Nestor and I have been working on this project for nearly two years and are pretty excited about the results. It began with Argy making collages and other images in response to my poems, and then we traded, and I wrote poems inspired by her images. A few we created at the same time. Then, we worked with a young graphic designer, Natasha Clement, at Down East Graphics to marry Argy’s images and my poetry. We have our gorgeous books now and are excited to share them with you. Catching Fireflies can be purchased from Jean or Argy by emailing either address below. We will be happy to package one up and send it to you.

The purchase price for Catching Fireflies is $25 plus a $5 fee for shipping and handling. Let us know if you want the books autographed or not. Please take a look below to purchase:

Please email me your address at empowermepeople@gmail.com. You can mail a check to me at 140 West Washington Road, Washington, Maine, 04574, or use Venmo @Jean-Feldeisen or Paypal at this link: https://py.pl/24PyDl,

Did you get your copy of this chapbook yet. I have autographed copies available and can mail you one for $18 plus postage and tax. Just drop me a line with your mailing address, and I will mail it to you. You can mail a check, use Venmo @Jean-Feldeisen, or Paypal at this link.

Published by Jean Anne Feldeisen

I was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey to Mildred Shropshire and Theodore Felsberg Jr. I was raised in Galloway Township and graduated from Oakcrest High School in southern New Jersey in the Sigma 67 Class in 1967. I attended Cedar Crest College in Allentown, PA, and graduated from Stockton University in Galloway, NJ, in 1974 with degrees in Philosophy, English Literature, and (almost) music. After that, I taught piano to local children and adults in the 70s and 80s, had a catering business, "Jean's in the Kitchen," from 1980 to 1992, then went to graduate school at Rutgers Camden to obtain my Masters's Degree in Social Work. Since 1996 I have worked as a therapist and counselor, first in New Jersey for five years and then, when our family moved to Maine, in Augusta, Maine, for five years. For the past 17 years, I have had a private psychotherapy practice in Gardiner, Maine, During the pandemic, I packed up and moved my office home to Washington, Maine. On the year of my seventieth birthday, I decided to write and self-publish a memoir about our parents' World War II romance, Dear Milly. I began blogging on Medium in earnest in 2020 and have posted more than 265 stories, including a block of stories about my catering career which I hope to turn into a book in the next year. I have been writing and collecting poetry since childhood but never showed it to anyone. Recently, I learned how valuable it could be to join a group for feedback and support for my writing. I have taken several courses and written many poems, and recently had several poems accepted for publication. Off in a new direction, again.

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