Visiting Guano Point, located on the Grand Canyon’s west rim, was a lesson in walking meditation. With the 3,800-foot cliff only steps away, I walked slow and deliberate. I felt every wisp of breeze on my face. My mind expanded as it reached into every nook of stone carved from the power of flowing water. […]
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Summer 2022
Summer started without me this year. After a once in a lifetime trip with my sister and 92-year-old grandmother, I tested positive for Covid-19 on our way back into the states. Just ten days before they lifted mandatory reentry testing! Summer break was in full swing when I returned home, but it took me a few weeks to “be back.” Hello, Summer. What other adventures do you have waiting for me?
Listen to my interview with Peter Vankevich of WOVV 90.1 FM, Ocracoke’s Village Voice.
Anything That Happens
“I don’t know that I have ever heard of a book of poetry being called a page-turner, but I opened it when it arrived in the mail, expecting to just take a quick peek and read the rest as I had more time, and ended up sitting down and devouring it. Just gorgeous”
—More reviews at Goodreads
“Anything That Happens is a mature poetic inquiry into the ways early trauma can reverberate through the whole of a life—relationships, family, one’s sense of self. The poems are candid, sharp-edged and very well rendered. ”
—Mark Cox, author of Readiness: Prose Poems
Upcoming Events
Carolina Mountains Literary Festival
Reading and Discussion – Anything That Happens
What is it like to write about your most shameful experience? Cheryl Wilder will read from her debut collection, Anything That Happens, an examination of what it takes to reconcile a past grave mistake. She will discuss the role of trust in writing and how craft helped build the writer-reader relationship.
September 9, 2022, 11-11:45 AM
Plot Hound Books
102 West Main Street
Burnsville, NC 28714
September 10, 2022, 10-10:45 AM
First Baptist Church
51 Town Square
Burnsville, NC 28714
Good News
Anything That Happens
Second Finalist
Poetry Society of Virginia
2022 North American Book Award
Anything That Happens
Honorable Mention
North Carolina Poetry Society
2022 Brockman-Campbell Book Award
On Movement
I started 2022 chanting joy joy joy. There’s no quantifiable evidence “joy” has helped my mood. But I can say it was a hectic two months, and I kept grounded and purposeful. It’s not only the mantra that has me moving forward with intention. On December 29, 2012, I finalized my first Writing Life mission […]
Onward and Forward
Joy in 2022 It’s 2022, and I keep thinking of the word Joy. Maybe I return to it to move past 2021—a reflex to the news cycle. Perhaps Joy is the mantra 2022 needs. Joy Joy Joy It’s a beautiful-looking word with the tall majestic “J,” the perfectly round “o,” and the low-hanging “y.” While […]
