Susan, Congratulations on your second book Moments and Memories! It’s really nice to see you again after Seasons of Life. I enjoyed reading this collection, it felt very warm and personal.
Is there a moment from your life that continues to shape how you think or write?
Yes. I am always grateful to a positive attitude with my thinking and writing. I try to find the good, enjoyment and pleasure in everyday things and events. A rewarding challenge to write poem(s) on these everyday things and events.
I really liked how even simple things, like a rocking chair or tea kettle, became meaningful in your poems. Do you naturally notice these small details in daily life?
Yes. I do notice the small details in my daily life. Some examples are interacting with nature with outdoor activities. These are walking, hiking, biking and kayaking. Hearing the birds sing in the morning, feeling the sun on my face, looking at a blue sky with white clouds in the sky. Seeing and appreciating a beautiful sunset.
What kind of readers do you think will connect the most with this book?
Readers who enjoy reading poems for a recollection of pleasant past events/experiences of a lifetime of moments with cherished memories.
While reading poems like “Aquarium” and “Zoo,” I felt a strong sense of childhood wonder, how did you reconnect with those early memories so vividly?
The titles acted as a connection to those memories. As an adult watching children looking in wonder when I went to The Boston Aquarium. Tapped into those memories. My first ever visit to The Bronx Zoo in middle school. Both places were so exciting to see as an adult and a child.
The poems about food and cooking felt very comforting, do those memories come from your family time?
My mother let my siblings and I help her make different kinds of Christmas cookies to decorate. She also made homemade bread and let us help with the process. She made different kinds of cookies for an afternoon snack when we came home from school. For holidays there was extra cooking and baking which she did.
Nature comes up a lot in your book trees, seasons, oceans. Do you spend a lot of time outdoors, or is it more from memory?
My husband and I spend as much time as possible outdoors all year-round. Biking, walking, paddle boarding and kayaking. The fall season a lot of hiking to view the fall foliage in the Adirondak mountains. Downhill, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing and micro-spiking in the winter. We have two paddle board and four kayaks. At one time we had three canoes which have since been sold. We are very lucky our house is behind the Alplaus creek. We can paddle from our back yard into the Mohawk River. And we go to Cape Cod and to Florida to spent time at the ocean.
Poems like “Brownies” and “Cherry Pie” show moments shared with family. How important family in shaping your creative voice?
I am popular with my brownies for family especially with my great niece and great nephew. The cherry pie is my husband’s favorite pie. My mother-in-law was very helpful in showing me how to select the right cherries from the orchard. She made a cherry pie every year in place of a cake for his birthday. Family ties and memories remain a very important part of my life.
Was there any one poem in this book that felt especially close to your heart?
One poem that felt especially close to my heart was titled Kindness. Kindness was instilled in me as a child and when I started LPN Nursing School in 1972. My favorite Nursing Instructor gave us a “mini lecture” to always be kind to all of our patients that we would meet. Never to judge, respect, listen, and be kind to everyone you interact with. This poem was the fastest one I have ever written. Total time was under fifteen minutes.
Your poem about “Grandchildren” feels especially heartfelt, how has becoming a grandparent influenced your perspective and writing?
I am not a grandparent. One of my BFF is, and I used her memories to write that poem. She is very close to all her grandchildren, and they are an important part of her life. She attends school events, showed both the boys and girls how to bake cookies, help in her garden, takes them out for lunch, watches numerous baseball and bowling games. Pickup and drop off for school and takes them shopping on their birthdays among the other numerous things she does with them.
I felt a sense of happiness and positivity in most of the poems, was that something you wanted readers to feel?
Yes. I did and this was deliberate. To have the readers experience happiness and positivity in reading my poems is a wonderful compliment.
Do you see your future writing continuing in a similar direction, or shifting into something new?
I have always wanted to write a children’s book and that is my next writing goal.
When you look back, what do you feel matters more, the moment itself or how it stayed with you?
How it stayed with me forever matters most to me.
Her book Moments and Memories is available on Amazon , definitely worth a read.Simple, sweet, and full of positive vibes.
Read: Conversation with Susan McLeod, Author of ‘Seasons of Life’
We believe in sharing knowledge with everyone and making a positive change in society through our work and contributions. If you are interested in joining us, please check our ‘About’ page for more information