What’s real? Collecting likes on social media or taking in nature? Being outside, breathing fresh air, scooping up an apple, biting into its juiciness, gently scratching the base of a horse’s neck . . . bring on the dopamine flow. That’s why I wrote the poem “Apple Chill.”
Tag: The Tears of Things: Poems
Hey ATL! Would Love to See You at the Decatur Book Festival
I’m thrilled to be a part of the Decatur Book Festival (20th anniversary!) October 3-4. It’s one of Atlanta’s premier literary events. I’ll be signing copies of The Tears of Things: Poems. Whether you live in Atlanta or you’re passing through town, please stop by and say hello.
On the Fragility And Glory of Autumn: “Royal Wind Riders”
This poem is about monarch butterflies experiencing a long-term decline due to threats from habitat loss, pesticides, and climate change. In pre-Hispanic legend, the migrating butterflies carried ancestral souls visiting from the afterlife.
Would Love to See You at the North Georgia Regional Book Fair: 9/13
On Saturday, September 13, 2025 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m.), Catherine Hamrick will join 100 authors for the North Georgia Regional Book Fair at the University of North Georgia Convocation Center . It’s a free event at a gorgeous venue (180 Alumni Drive, Dahlonega, Georgia 30597) with spacious parking and refreshments.
Mottled History: The Love Behind a Peeling Vintage Table
I wore down layers of old paint on the vintage table. Running my hands over the just-right smoothness, I saw stories in the splotched surface: black paint from the furniture’s earliest days—maybe when my grandmother sipped morning coffee and gazed on her flowers; green when my mother went for a spring look; and sunny yellow in the hopeful days of my marriage.