“. . . I have now read your book with much pleasure and with thanks.  Your poems about your parents are particularly moving to me, and so I thank you…”
-Wendell Berry, writer, Port Royal, Kentucky

“Thanks so much for your wonderful contributions to our devotional book project!  Your poetry is beautiful—what an awesome expression of worship!” 
-Amber Balash, Malone College, Canton, Ohio

“Thank you so much for bringing the message at Senior Citizen’s Day.  As I looked across the pool of white hair I thought, ‘Imagine how many stories there are in this room!’ I hope they were inspired to begin or continue sharing their journeys with the next generation.” 
-Deb Horst, Camp Luz, Orrville, Ohio

“We appreciate your sharing at First Friends… not only your art, but your heart. Thank you for coming.” 
-Phil DiSabatino, Minister of Music and Sacred Arts, First Friends, Canton, Ohio

“Thank you so much for hosting “A day off for writers!”  The coffee cake looked like a picture.  You have a beautiful home and the calm(ing) surroundings were greatly appreciated.” 
-Chris Weber, poet, Wooster, Ohio

Joanne's Writing Loft ...
                      For the Love of Writing!

 I grew up on a chicken farm in Columbiana County, Ohio.  As a young girl, I helped on the farm and spent hours wandering in the woods and fields where my imagination was also free to roam.  Most of my adult life, I've lived in the Kidron and Apple Creek, Ohio, area.  I often write in the loft of my home.  There, my desk faces a window overlooking a woods.  In a way, this site is like my loft.  A place to meet, to share writing and to connect with others. 
 
I began keeping journals at age twelve.  Through the years I've written news, features and human interest stories for local newspapers.  I returned to college as an adult and graduated from Malone College, Canton, Ohio with a bachelor's degree in Communication Arts.  In the past I worked as editor of the Ohio Evangel and as a community relations specialist for the local mental health board.

In January, 2005, I left my job to write and have more free time to connect with other writers. The decision was affirmed when I learned I'd won the Wick Poetry Prize from Kent State University.  Not long after I left my job, my first novel was accepted by Herald Press. 

Besides doing my own writing, I enjoy encouraging others to write by teaching workshops and writing classes.  In the past few months I've taught classes on journaling, memoir writing, and writing poetry in various settings. I've also scheduled several readings and talks for women's groups, writing groups, and college classes.

No matter what my assignment, I try to make time to write creatively about life—the everyday and the spiritual.  My articles and poems have appeared in DreamSeeker, Farming Magazine, The Mennonite, Purpose, and in literary journals such as Artful Dodge.

My first book, Traces of Treasure: Quest for God in the Commonplace was published in 1994 by Herald Press.  It won a Silver Angel for Excellence in Media.  Morning Song , my collection of original poetry won the Wick Poetry Prize and was published by Kent State University Press in 2004.

In November, 2005, Kairos : A Novel , was released by Herald Press.  My first novel was written and re-written over a period of six years.  Since that project, I've participated each year in National Novel Writing Month www.nanowrimo and have three additional novels underway as a result. I plan to finish my most recent novel in January 2006.  It's the sequel to Kairos . I'm also working on a collection of creative non-fiction titled Paying Attention: Thoughts on Home and Community ,  this book began as a series of newspaper columns published in the Daily Record.  All the while I've been writing new poems and creative non-fiction for a book-length manuscript that will examine both the enjoyment and the politics of food.

I hope you'll visit my virtual Writing Loft often.  If you're interested in visiting the actual loft, plan to join me on one of my daylong writer retreats.  Check the calendar here for upcoming dates and times. 

To be included on my email list, so you'll get updates and announcements, send an email to .