A Love Letter to Mom: an Ameri-Ku by Barbara Harris Leonhard — Hotel

Juan Re Crivello, the Director and Head Editor for Masticadores, has a new Masticadores blog called Hotel Masticadores House. It is open for submissions for works on grief. I just happened to be working on another poem, an Ameri-Ku, about me and Mom, so I submitted it. Thank you, Juan, for publishing my poem! Submit to Juan... Continue Reading →

“Our hidden flower…” by Barbara Leonhard

For the past half week I’ve felt heavy hearted and physically sore. Today I just had to go back to bed and sleep. I finally realized I was grieving Mom because April 3 is the anniversary of her passing.
It makes me wonder what lies beneath other dark days I have. Did something happen to me that I left buried and hidden? That in some mysterious way became my root, my grounding, and my new blooms?

MasticadoresUsa // Editor: Barbara Leonhard

…. isn’t a secret
as we all till the ground
for the daffodil, 
sprung each spring
before an unexpected snow
that bends our backs so low
we wonder if we can survive
The weight of a lingering winter
We brace the cold, wet tears 
and all hold grief
in a sacred spot
where its roots can uphold us
once the frost melts

Copyright © 2023 Barbara Harris Leonhard
All Rights Reserved

Barbara is author of Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir (EIF- Experiments in Fiction, 2022). A poem from this collection was nominated for a Pushcart Prize in 2022. Also, on Spillwords, Barbara was voted Author of the Month of October 2021, nominated Author of the Year for 2021, and recognized as a Spillwords Socialite of the Year in 2021. In November 2022, she became Editor for MasticadoresUSA. Barbara enjoys bringing writers together and started hosting open mics and readings on…

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“Happiness is an elephant” by Nolcha Fox (and My Review of Fox’s Book, ‘Memory is that raccoon’) — MasticadoresUsa // Editor: Barbara Leonhard

Nolcha Fox is a prolific and entertaining poet! I was honored to review her book “Memory is that raccoon”, which contains the poem featured here. Enjoy! https://read.amazon.com/kp/card?preview=inline&linkCode=kpd&ref_=k4w_oembed_mGs735zp8njRe2&asin=9395224622&tag=kpembed-20 Happiness is an elephant sitting in the best chair, hogging the remote. I can only feed him peanuts and vacuum when he goes to the refrigerator for a... Continue Reading →

“Review of Glass Awash, by Ken Gierke” by Barbara Leonhard

I wrote a review of Ken Gierke’s stunning debut poetry collection. You can find it at MasticadoresUSA. What immediately impresses the reader is the cover, which displays stones hewn into glass by water and time. Different shades of blue and green, … “Review of Glass Awash, by Ken Gierke” by Barbara Leonhard Divider Image: by GDJ on... Continue Reading →

An Insightful Review of Three-Penny Memories

I’m humbled and grateful for this review written by Aarik Danielsen, the Arts and Culture Editor for the Columbia Tribune. He’s an amazing writer, and I felt moved to tears. He truly witnessed my soul. https://www.columbiatribune.com/story/entertainment/books/2022/11/05/how-columbia-author-barbara-leonhard-faced-griefs-pointed-questions/69610771007/ Barbara Harris Leonhard Amazon Best-Selling Author Three-Penny Memories: A Poetic Memoir, (EIF-Experiments in Fiction, 2022) Pushcart Poet Nominee, 2022... Continue Reading →

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