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Joan has been writing poetry since childhood. A number of her poems have been published in ""The Cliffs - Soundings,"" Miskwabik Press. She has created a trilogy of chapbooks, tales of having grown up in an old copper mining community along Lake Superior's shores: ""Lake Superior Legacy"", ""Shadows"", and ""All That Remains"".Her chapbooks also include: ""The Andy Wyeth Series: Andy's Windows"" (a collection of poems with reference to the paintings of Andrew Wyeth), and ""Transcendence"" (poems offering hope and encouragement for troubled minds and spirits). These chapbooks are published privately by her personal press, Feather Press.Joan feels there is a special connection between the worlds of writing and art, and she enjoys pairing her poems with Ron Huffman's art. She also enjoys hand-crafting poetry books, including ""GRIEF POEMS"" and, more recently, ""CAPTURING TRUTHS - A Collection of Favorite Poems"" by Joan Meyers."" Her educational background is in literature and mental health. She has worked as a teacher and counselor helping children and their families deal with a wide variety of problems from raising severely handicapped children to facing death. Joan lives in Traverse City, Michigan. Ron Ladd Huffman was the creator and editor of Feather Press. He was born in Marlette, Michigan, where he spent much of his life.Ron studied art at Michigan State University and briefly at Ohio University. His paintings focus for the most part on the natural world, with a hint of abstraction. Ron's work (paintings, drawings, lithographs, photography) are represented in Joan Meyers' poetry chapbooks. He also wrote poems published in ""The Cliffs - Soundings,"" Miskwabik Press. Ron published two collections of his poetry: ""Nickels In The Grass"" and ""raison d'etre"" (Feather Press). He also enjoyed working with his hands, crafting boxes from exotic woods and creating primitive furniture.Ron passed away in Traverse City, Michigan, in 2014.
""What a journey of hard-won courage-from darkness toward light, from bondage to liberation. Meyers paints her story with vivid images, giving her life a narrative framework that heals her and her readers."" -Reverend Alex McCauslin, chaplain with the Father Fred Foundation ""In these brave poems, Joan Meyers transforms her experience into art. The abuse and the trauma don't win. Joan does. And through her poems, we triumph too because Joan writes us a map that doesn't lead the way through her oppression only but through our own difficulties, even if they may seem insurmountable, as hers did. You'll have to remind yourself to breathe as you read this work, but don't let anything keep you from this remarkable journey."" -Patrice Vecchione, author of My Shouting, Shattered, Whispering Voice: A Guide to Writing Poetry & Speaking Your Truth ""I am so happy to have been given the book Fare-Thee-Well: Rescue Poems for Abused Women. As a psychologist, I am always looking for ways my clients can be inspired to begin the process of change and healing or reflect on the transformation that has already happened in their lives and celebrate the victory. The poems in this book capture the suffering, shame, despair, and hopelessness many of my clients talk about. The poems also give words to the awakening and 'call to adventure' and 'break from the known to the unknown.' I use Joseph Campbell's heroic journey as a template for building hope and resilience. These poems will be another tool for me to empower my clients. Blessed to have been given this book!"" -Denise Buchanan, PhD
