Barbara Presnell

Barbara Presnell lives in Lexington, North Carolina, and teaches at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte. Her poetry collection, Piece Work, which documents the textile industry in North Carolina through the voices of workers, was published by Cleveland State University in 2007. In 2009-2011, the Touring Theatre of North Carolina performed an adaptation of Piece Work in community colleges and other venues throughout North Carolina. Her latest poetry book, Blue Star (Press 53), examines war and its effect on families. In 2014, she retraced her father’s World War II journey from Omaha Beach to the Elbe River in Germany, following his map and journal entries. She has published work in War, Literature, and the Arts; The Southern Review; Malahat Review; Appalachian Journal; Chariton Review; and other journals and anthologies. Sample some of her poems at www.barbarapresnell.com.

Ten Things I Can’t Do Without

1. My family, nearby and extended, long past and yet to be
2. Arty’s brown eyes
3. A notebook and a Pilot G-2 extra fine blue pen
4. Woods
5. A highway nearby
6. Yellow cake with caramel icing
7. A lightly chilled chardonnay
8. Flannel
9. Summer tomatoes
10. The possibility of a kitten