Tina Barr
I have lived in a log cabin on the side of a mountain, in Black Mountain, North Carolina, since 2011. My life here, with bear, deer, copperheads, woodpeckers, with hundred-foot poplars, hickory and oak, feels very far from “civilization,” although we are close to the village of Black Mountain. The plateau on which the cabin was built is cut out from the side of the mountain, so the edge of the cutbank, which is 30 feet at its highest point, verges on the woods, and it’s a pathway for animals. I’ve had encounters with many bear cubs. I am fairly skilled at killing copperheads, with the help of my husband. I have grown onions, garlic, asparagus, sweet potatoes in raised beds. For a short blog with photos go to this link.
A lot of my recent poetry is based in this landscape, although it reaches outward in time and geography, since I have made a number of visits to places like Egypt and Istanbul. Before moving to Black Mountain, I directed the Creative Writing Program at Rhodes College, in Memphis, for over a decade, and was Charles R. Glover Chair of English Studies. Before Memphis, I lived in Philadelphia, where I earned a doctorate and a Master’s degree in literature from Temple University. I also teach private workshops, on Zoom, and give tutorials by phone. I’ve taught for the University of North Carolina in Asheville’s Great Smokies Creative Writing Program. I won teaching awards at both Temple University and Rhodes College.
In 2015 I co-founded The Shining Rock Poetry Anthology & Book Review, a free, online website which anthologized poems, essays and articles from many well-known poets. This Anthology, along with all my poetry books, letters, & materials has been archived in the Special Collections Research Center of Charles Library at Temple University.
A lot of my recent poetry is based in this landscape, although it reaches outward in time and geography, since I have made a number of visits to places like Egypt and Istanbul. Before moving to Black Mountain, I directed the Creative Writing Program at Rhodes College, in Memphis, for over a decade, and was Charles R. Glover Chair of English Studies. Before Memphis, I lived in Philadelphia, where I earned a doctorate and a Master’s degree in literature from Temple University. I also teach private workshops, on Zoom, and give tutorials by phone. I’ve taught for the University of North Carolina in Asheville’s Great Smokies Creative Writing Program. I won teaching awards at both Temple University and Rhodes College.
In 2015 I co-founded The Shining Rock Poetry Anthology & Book Review, a free, online website which anthologized poems, essays and articles from many well-known poets. This Anthology, along with all my poetry books, letters, & materials has been archived in the Special Collections Research Center of Charles Library at Temple University.
