BIOGRAPHY

Claiborne Schley Walsh attended SpringHill College where she majored in English and minored in Art.   She has held creative writing/thinking workshops for many writing societies, poetry festivals, schools and colleges, and has been a judge for poetry competitions and slams.  Claiborne began her writing career when she was old enough to use a number two big red pencil and a Red Chief writing tablet.   Claiborne's publication credits include Red Bluff Review, Will Work For Peace, Rattlesnake Review, di-verse-city (The anthology of the Austin International Poetry Festival), Bravo, West Florida Literary Federation Anthology, Copper Blade Review, Literary Mobile Anthology, Literary Baldwin, and Southern Breezes.  In addition, her work may be read at Sol Magazine, Gulf Mobile & Ohio Historical Magazine, Airwaves-WHIL, MindFire, Poetry Cafe, ShowemAll, Poetic Voices, IP Magazine, and in This Hard Wind.  Originally from Mobile, Alabama, Claiborne Schley Walsh has lived in New Orleans, Louisana, Savannah, Georgia, and now lives back in Alabama on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay in Montrose.

Favorite Quote:  "Concentrate that for which there is no other use at all, boil it down, down," —Thomas Lux, "Render, Render," The Cradle Place

Website:  http://members.aol.com/CLAIBIE/poetry.htm

Claiborne Schley Walsh blends personal observation of facts and feelings into excellent universal poetry. Creative thinking and the boldness to experiment characterize her work, and she presents strong imagery without excess verbiage.  As Claiborne develops thoughts across verses, each stanza has continuity yet feels complete.  She has an excellent grasp of extended metaphor and how to build a poem by elaborating on one core idea.  Expressive word choices, clean diction, and good line structures, these elements alone show this poet is well worth reading, but then add in confident imaginative writing and skilled craftsmanship and you discover a strong writer difficult to ignore.  The arresting title of her poem, "Code - Do Not Resuscitate," demands immediate attention.  The difficult topic is addresssed in a spare way that is free of over-emotion, which adds to its impact, as concise writing catches the unknown yet creates a desire for more details, leaving the reader to reflect on possibilities.  The very effective use of a third line repeat is made particularly interesting with the use of a visual or phychological twist in each stanza as "slick green," morphs into "sick green," then transitions into "silk, green."  Beautifully done, extraordinary writing.