As I continue to dig through Mom’s archives, I’m finding messages from her.

Hints from the past.

First of all, Mom was definitely not into being called a “poetess”:

This news clip is from 1976, which was smack dab in the middle of the Women’s Liberation Movement. I think, though, Mom probably claimed the title “poet” over “poetess” decades before, as far back as 1938, when she wrote her first poem.

In one folder, I found a program from the 1975 Midwest Writers’ Workshop. This annual event continues to this day, at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana.

The Featured Speaker that year was teacher, author, and poet Jesse Stuart.

Such a missed opportunity! Jesse Stuart was and is Farmer Gary‘s favorite author. The best gift for Gary is a Jesse Stuart book, and it’s been that way since he was in high school.

The thought that Mom not only heard Jesse Stuart speak, but most certainly met him and chatted, is a conversation she and Gary would have enjoyed immensely.

Mom made friends at these workshops and other writers’ conferences and stayed in touch till the end of her days, with handwritten letters and phone calls.

Quite a few of those friends were teachers. Some of them invited Mom to their schools, to talk about words, ideas, and poetry.

One question that came up often was:

“Where do you get your ideas? How do you choose the best one?”

Mom wanted to help students ignore all the negatives that slow the creative process. She’d share this poem – “but one” – with the class. (This recording is snipped from a cassette she recorded for a writer friend. The clip begins with a bit of backstory.)

Here’s the poem, typed carefully long ago on her Royal typewriter:

Another writer friend, teacher Ruth Kivett, invited Mom to speak to her English classes at North Central High School in Indianapolis. Later, she wrote a glowing letter of reference.

Here’s an excerpt:

“In talking one-to-one, she seemed somehow to sense their thoughts and needs. She was able to pinpoint what each was struggling to express and to give direction for continuing with the work.

“Especially evident was the interest of the boys and the depth of their concerns. She suggested that one senior put his verse to music. For a later class project, he did just that – singing his lyrics to his own guitar accompaniment.

“Coming in from the outside, Mrs. Vayo was like a spring breeze giving us a fresh perspective and new angles for our thinking. One quite ordinary student wrote a touching story of the lingering illness of a relative.

“An administrator also visited one class. Later he told me that he too had gone home and had written a poem!

” … by observing Mrs. Vayo sharing her insight and understanding, I also learned how well young people respond to a sensitive, caring artist.”

~ Ruth S. Kivett, February 15, 1977

I can’t help but wonder if Mom had been born a decade or two later, would she have been a teacher. Would she have worked outside the home and taught English or creative writing?

I’m grateful Mom stayed home with the four of us, yet managed to take time for meaningful friendships and to create a legacy of poetry and prose.

“but one” © 1976 Joan Vayo. All rights reserved.

We’d be glad to email you a notice with each new story. Simply drop in your email address, below: