Carol D. Meeks

My husband, Pat and I are retired. We have two fine 
sons and three precious grandsons that are the light 
of our lives, and we enjoy getting to visit them whenever 
we want. Our routine allows me time to write. Pat has 
started kidney dialysis--PERITONEAL STYLE--where he filters 
at night while he sleeps, and he is knocking the socks off 
his doctors with his progress. We are in the process of 
evaluations for him to be added to the NATIONAL KIDNEY DONOR 
LIST. Before all this started we volunteered at Good Sam's 
nursing home here in Artesia, and our church. Like President 
Bush has expressed, volunteering is good for the SOUL. We miss 
this part of our retirement, but energy saps Pat soon and we 
limit our activities more.


Retirement finds me happier than I ever thought. My work days 
were good, but I enjoy not having a nine to five routine.


I JUST WON the 2007 NEW MEXICO SENIOR POET LAUREATE at 
" Amy Kitchener's Angels Without Wings Foundation" contest. 
I won that title from this same contest in 2004 and 2005, 
and was the 2006 runner up. You have to be 50 or older to 
enter this contest. It gives us older people a chance to 
share our work and still stay productive. I placed two poems 
in the 73rd Writer's Digest top 100. I hold memberships in 
BARDS OF A FEATHER, HIGH PRAIRIE POETS of Roswell NM, 
NEW MEXICO STATE POETRY SOCIETY, the NATIONAL FEDERATION OF 
STATE POETRY SOCIETIES, INC., and POETRY IN MOTION.


In 2004, I won six poetry contests. In 2005 I won five, 
and increased my wins in 2006. I have a Special Honorable 
Mention at Bylines for poetry and two for short stories. 
I've seen poetry published in Potpourri, Poe Magazine, 
Heart Songs, Inspirational Verses, Poet Speak, Creative 
Juices, Herlands Flaming Tongues, 2006 Forrest Fest Anthology, 
R. B.'S Viewpoint, Hodgepodge, Opened Eyes, The Rag, Our Piped 
Dreams, The Diplomat, Under the Yucca, New Mexico State Poetry 
Society Newsletter, Poets' Forum Magazine, Wt-In Spirit, The 
Southwest Region of Haiku Society of America, The Poet Sanctuary, 
Bells Letters, Golden Words, Poet's Lane, and Litchfield Review.


I chair the committee for the bi-monthly contests held by the 
High Prairie Poets New Mexico State Poetry Society chapter from 
Roswell. This has helped my poetry path grow and I've met some 
incredible people doing this. We use the proceeds for these 
contests to finance a student contest from Roswell during the 
month of April which is National Poetry Month. Poetry in Motion 
will try to implement a similar situation here.


The membership I hold in BARDS OF A FEATHER, is an online 
writing group with an instructor from Texas. I have been affiliated 
with this group since 2003. Before I got involved in this group, 
I thought you just sit down and wrote what was on your heart, but I 
love learning to write structured and formal poetry. I have learned 
volumes here. Writing sonnets is my favorite.

I have four books of published poems, one of which
HOWLS FROM THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT
can be published online at http://www.amykitchenerfdn.org/book_gallery.html