Poetry Women

To celebrate National Poetry Month, Christianna Hannum Miller of Kennett Square and Dianne Herrin of West Chester read their poems at the Kennett Flash on Friday, April 1. Christy's poems reflected her deep roots in the Unionville countryside; in "The smell of pools" she wrote vividly about swimming at her grandmother's farm. Dianne wrote about family, and nature, and religion, and I found her "Notice," about a friend's death in a car crash, to be very moving.
I enjoyed hearing the poems read aloud, and the evening was enhanced by John Orban's lovely photographs, which were projected on the screen behind the stage.
The two poets answered lots of questions from the audience afterwards, giving honest, straightforward answers about why and how they write. Dianne said she often jots down ideas on the spot on the closest piece of paper she can find, often the back of a receipt. Christy said she doesn't have much interest in publishing, but she'd very much like to read her poems to children and senior citizens.
I'm so glad I attended: it was great to reconnect with Dianne after a very long time, and delightful to chat with Christy's family members and all the other Unionville folks who were there. And The Flash is a great venue!