The Soddy Daisy Community Library (SDCL) will host a book launch celebration for award-winning author KB Ballentine on Wednesday, May 10.
The reading and discussion will begin at 6:30 p.m. followed by Q&A. Copies of Ms. Ballentine’s latest collection, Spirit of Wild, will be available for purchase and autographing. Spirit of Wild is Ms. Ballentine’s eighth collection of poetry. Free tickets for the event are available on through the library’s Facebook page.
Ms. Ballentine said, “Wild weaves through each of us, but the spirit of wild doesn’t always rage. Sometimes it is the gentle, quiet moments alone in our souls that show us who and what we are. The spirit of strength, the spirit of wonder, the spirit of curiosity, the spirit of fury, the spirit of peace are all part of us. But we bottle or ignore them, questioning our anxiety and depression.
“These poems speak to that spark in each of us that we might remember even through our sorrows, tragedies, joys, and silent seasons that the spirit of wild doesn’t call us – it is us. Don’t ignore it. Don’t let it go. Hold it tight as you dream, when you wake, and as you live your day. Yes, live. Live and embrace wild.”
KB Ballentine resides in Chattanooga, and teaches creative writing, theatre arts, and literature to high school and college students.
Ms. Ballentine’s earlier books can be found with Blue Light Press, Middle Creek Publishing, and Celtic Cat Publishing. Published in Crab Orchard Review and Haight-Ashbury Literary Journal, among others, her work also appears in anthologies including Pandemic Evolution (2021), In Plain Air (2017) and Carrying the Branch: Poets in Search of Peace (2017).
KB Ballentine appears as part of the SDCL’s Elevating Literacy Program. The SDCL is a project of the KELCURT Foundation, which is an IRS recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization and relies solely on the support of our patrons and our community, receiving no tax monies.
For additional information regarding the event, the Soddy Daisy Community Library, or the KELCURT Foundation, please contact Kelly Flemings, 423 800-2367, founders@KELCURTFoundation.org.