Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Meg Pokrass Writes Your Life Story (on a postcard): #273 Terri Kirby Erickson

Terri Kirby Erickson was born and grew up in Winston-Salem, NC. Her brother and she were physically active from morning until night, constantly running around outside, and playing, playing, playing. They grew on the fruits and vegetables from people’s gardens, and fruit trees in the neighborhood, spent summers picking and eating blackberries, cherries, apples and persimmons. Both parents worked hard. Her father often had two if not three jobs (including working as a football referee for high school games), and her mother made dresses for Terri by teaching herself to sew. Her parents were fun, particularly her father, who still cracks her up. Terri's mom weaned Terri and her brother on fiction, reading to them regularly, making imaginary worlds live. Terri’s brother Tommy died in an accident when he was still in his twenties. Terri misses him every day of her life. Terri credits her path toward writing to Elizabeth Reynolds’ fifth grade class. Reynolds made a huge impression on Terri—she loved the arts and encouraged her students to pursue their creative interests. Terri became enamored with language at this time. Terri met her husband, Leonard, in middle school. She thought Leonard was striking when he was a teenager. He had long brown hair (which he still does, although there’s a little gray mixed up in there now!), “mischievous” green eyes, and a deep “radio announcer” voice. Terri was a year younger and too shy to speak to him, so never really did. He was way too “cool.” Terri, a self-defined nerd with glasses and braces, found Leonard many years later confessing that he thought Terri was “pretty” enough to be “intimidating” when he sat behind her in Spanish class. He must have been as intimidated as she was. They graduated from the same high school, but were going “steady” with other people at the time. They encountered each other again some years later, and started dating soon thereafter. On their first date, Leonard brought his Scrabble game to Terri’s apartment and shook her hand when he left, after beating her at Scrabble! They were married a year later, and are celebrating their 19th wedding anniversary in September. Terri had an ileostomy due to complication from Crohn's disease, and lived with that for eleven years—from the time she was 23 until 34—which was difficult to deal with on many levels. She believes it helped make her a more empathetic person, and a good listener. She knows how important it is to listen to people in pain. The most important event in her life was the birth of her daughter. Terri and her baby girl came close to dying when Terri was pregnant due to complications from the Crohn’s disease, which she has battled since she was 15. Many medical moments of life-threatening severity made giving birth dangerous. Miraculously, Terri’s daughter was born healthy. Writing poetry “seriously,” fulfilling a lifelong dream to become a published poet, is what Terri feels most proud of. When not writing, editing medical books and journal articles, conducting writing workshops or teaching, Terri volunteers at a local Cancer Center whenever she can, mostly talking about poetry with support groups. Terri was sick with 101 degree fever when she turned 50, but so far she likes her new decade. It’s like waking up in the same pair of soft, broken-in jeans every single day. At 52, she’s healthier than ever. She loves menopause and believes it’s a huge relief. Something that hardly anybody knows: Terri’s toes don’t touch each other—at all. Terri is confident that her happy childhood prepared her for the challenges of her adult life—that, her faith, and a sense of humor.


[Note #1: Terri Kirby Erickson is the award-winning author of Thread Count (2006), and Telling Tales of Dusk (2009). Terri loves to receive letters from readers that tell her how much a particular poem has meant to them. This happens often, because her work is warm, funny, sad, and accessible. Her work has been nominated for Best of the Net and the Pushcart Prize, and has appeared in numerous literary journals, anthologies and other publications including the Christian Science Monitor, Blue Fifth Review, Eclectica, JAMA, Thieves Jargon, and Verse Daily.]

[Note #2: You can read Meg Pokrass' expressive life story here. You can read Meg Pokrass' postcard life story of Ethel Rohan here.]

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading Terri's postcard but having known her personally, I would have to say she is so much larger in life than even a very large postcard could portray! She is not the kind of person to admit to you that she has "held the hands of" and comforted countless persons who have faced illness, pain, loss, etc. Her life experiences have made her extremely empathetic and caring. Her books are wonderful and are truly among my favorites--I would recommend them to anyone. Not only are they a means of escape from daily lassitude, but her style of writing whisks you away to another place and time. Her sense of humor is so refreshing! Often during our conversations, I have guffawed with tears in my eyes which overflowed and streamed down my cheeks! Terri is a wonderful person and a friend whom I value immeasurably.

Terri Kirby Erickson said...

Thank you so much, Meg and Michael, for including me in this great project... I wrote to tell a few friends about it this morning, saying: "I wish I’d done something like fly around the world in a hot air balloon with nothing but my blue-tongued skink, Bertie; a box of breakfast bars; a copy of Anna Karenina; and a stack of ‘Archie’ comic books, or something to that effect, which would have made the bio more interesting," and in return, one of them wrote to me and said, "Traveling by balloon is easy. It's harder to live on the ground, dealing with life in the trenches." I quite liked that comment... Anyway, thanks again! All the very best, Terri

Anonymous said...

Not only is Terri smart, funny and talented-she is an amazing friend! Good job telling her life's story! The only part that you left out washer brief career as a professional wrestler.

Charity Smosna said...

Terri is a very special friend to me. I have known her for about 10 years now and have enjoyed every year. She is like a sister to me. I love to read her poetry because she makes the words "come alive"! I especailly love spending time with Terri, which I don't get to do enough these days. Terri and I have had many a conversation about every subject possible and I have kept them in my treasure box of memories. Here's to many more memories! I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

JennyB said...

Terri is indeed an inspiring poet. Reading her work gave me the confidence I needed to pursue a path of poetry myself. What I believe Terri Kirby Erickson does most is fill the barren air with use. Her words create living things; scents, sounds, splendour, beauty, sweetness or tears. But most of all love is born in each word she writes. She sets one to trembling!

-Jenny L. Bates, author of "Opening Doors: An equilog of poetry about Donkeys".

Terri Kirby Erickson said...

I'd just like to say thanks to all of those who made such lovely comments... I'm honored by your kind words, but will pretend I never read the phrase, "professional wrestler." I mean, really, Anonymous, I've hung up my leopard skin leotards and lace-up boots for good... :o)