An Interview with Fran Parker: About the Joy of Poetry
Michael F. Shaughnessy
Senior Columnist EducationNews.org
Eastern New Mexico University
Portales, New Mexico

Fran Parker has recently published several books of art and prose, "Joy", "Listen" and "Ponderings". She is a avid proponent of the use of poems, poetry and literature as well as writing. She has also published a variety of other books such as Mushrooms, Turnip Greens and Pickled Eggs. She has also co-authored (with Elizabeth Sparks), Instant Party , Instant Gourmet , Alone with a Skillet , and Half-Baked , all currently paperback books. She has also co-written " What Is It and What Do I Do With It?" (explaining kitchen gadgets from A to Z ). In this interview she discusses her current work and love of poetry and writing.

1) What got you initially interested in poetry as a form of art or reading?

I have always loved reading in any form and as a child, the Nursery Rhymes were easy to remember and repeat.then in school we have poems we had to learn . My grandmother wrote little "ditties" and I started doing the same.

2) Many contemporary poems are actually songs sung by our ancestors. Do some poems have historical interest?

I know that any topic can become a prose or poem depending upon the frame of mind of the author, so history can certainly play a big part in the poetic theme. At this point in my writing, I have not dealt with history as a theme.

3) "I think that I shall never see, A poem as lovely as a tree". What can children learn from memorizing poems and from the work of Walt Whitman?

Children that memorize a poem, if it is one they really like and can relate to will remember that poem, at least in contests, all of their life. Walt Whitman can plant the seed of a lovely world with his words and descriptions.

4) Have you ever attended a "Poetry-Olio" and are you familiar with this attempt to get kids to recite poems and write their own work?

I am afraid that I am not familiar with this concept.

5) What are the important aspects of having children memorize a poem?

For children.or anyone ..to memorize poems, Bible verses, historical speeches.increases the power of the brain. Again, it makes a lasting impression to grow up with.

6)  I have to tell you that after I watch the six o clock news, I have to go and read Emily DIckinson for rejuvenation. Are we living in difficult times, or have we lost the old joy of reading " The Charge of the Light Brigade" or " Twas the Night before Christmas"?

So much of the reading many of us did as children, young adults and even now has been replaced with the "tube": that takes up far too much of our lives and does not leave a lasting impression. The books get dusty and does our minds!

7) Do you think reading poetry helps individuals become better readers?

Any reader becomes a better reader by consistent reading. Poetry lighten s up the type of reading and if one is not " into " a full length novel, sharing a few poetry books can be a " joy". Once books are read, they are passed on.returned to the library, or put on the shelf as a "finished work". A book of poetry can linger for years on the coffee table or bed-side table to be picked up time after time and memories refreshed.

8) Are we losing the art of story telling and poetry with all of these computer games and video disks and educational software things?

A definite "YES " to this question.

9) Where can interested individuals get your book and learn more about your work?

You may catch up on me at http://web.archive.org/web/20061004000718/http://www.tarparbooks.com/. Order blanks are a part of the web page. The ISBN numbers are also listed so you may ask a book store to place an order both from me or my distributor, or at all times my office sends books out. It would be nice to count you as a reader of TarPark books.

10) What question have I neglected to ask?

Perhaps you would like to know that my writings and thoughts are ideas and reflections " from me to you ". They are not words you must ponder what in the world is the author trying to say. They are not "lofty" or "wordy" or Ph.D. material. They are words that you and I have felt and as so many readers have told me, from every part of the country.." that is just what I have been thinking and did not know how to say it