Contact: Melissa Reifert
August 24, 2007

MECC English Professor Releases Book of Poetry

Although Rita Quillen has been writing poetry since the late 1970s, she has not released a book in more than a decade. Now, the Mountain Empire Community College English Professor’s book, Her Secret Dream: New and Selected Poems, is available from Wind Publications.

The book’s foreword was written by acclaimed North Carolina poet and novelist Ron Rash. There is also jacket commentary by authors Robert Morgan, Pamela Duncan, and Michael McFee. Her Secret Dream is a compilation of poems from Quillen’s first two books, October Dusk and Counting the Suns, now out of print, and a small collection of new poems.

One of the new poems included is “My Grandfather Photographs His Son (1937).” The piece won second place in the annual George Scarborough Poetry Competition, sponsored by Lincoln Memorial University. The competition received over 400 entries from across the United States, and was judged by Kentucky poet Anne Shelby.

Quillen admits that the recognized poem is one of her favorites. “It meant a lot. I worked so hard on it. The photograph on which it is based was taken and developed by my grandfather in his well house. I submitted several poems to the competition, and was really excited that this particular poem won.”

She uses her own writing and publishing experience when giving advice to students she teaches. “I tell students that writing has to be its own reward. It’s hard to get published nowadays. Don’t let the lack of publication opportunities frustrate you. Writing has to be a way of life. Some of the wisest and happiest people I know are writers.”

Her Secret Dream is available from your favorite local bookstore, on Amazon.com, or directly from Wind Publishing. For more information, visit the website at www.windpub.com.

Wind Publications is an independent small press located in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Since 1993, Wind has published more than 40 books covering a broad spectrum of topics, including chapbooks and full-length volumes of poetry, fiction, literary criticism, history, biography, and culinary works.

Rita Quillen’s book, Her Secret Dream: New and Selected Poems, has been published and is now available through Wind Publications. Quillen is an English Professor at Mountain Empire Community College.

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