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Check out this link for a new published poem by Stellasue Lee. The Mas Tequila Review

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SPRING HILL ARTS LEARNING CENTER CLASS

Instructor: Stellasue Lee, Ph.D. Email Address: stellasueL@aol.com

Title: Finding Your Voice to Say the Unsayable

Class Description: Journal Writing: How to find your way past grief and disappointments by looking at your life experience squarely on the page. All that is dredged up will finally be transfigured into something whole.

Explaining the unexplainable is something of a magic act, showing up to a blank page with an unfettered mind takes some doing. In this process, things happen that are always a surprise. This kind of writing is about reaching into the mid-section and exposing what lies within. It is one of the oldest methods of self-exploration and expression. It leads people to understand their inner core and how life works. It empowers them to change the course of their thinking. Once it’s down on paper, it lives.

One of the first things I do with new students is have them find someplace in their house where there is a lock. I tell them, “Go there, seize your critic by the scruff of the neck, toss it in, lock it up, and never let it out. It will complain, whine, threaten and wheedle you to let it out. Don’t!” I try to follow that rule. I’ve done my job when I show up. I write from my experience, and I teach people how to be real.

Select Target Ages: Adults

Minimum Class Size: 12 Maximum Class Size: 6 Class Fee: $95.00

Day and Time Available: Saturday, 10-12 AM Number of Sessions: 4

Class dates: February 12, 19, 26, and March 5^th

For more class information, contact Shirley Barker at 931-490-6807 or sbarkspirit@att.net

No Supply fee

Students should bring a notebook, and pen

Bio: Stellasue Lee’s work is published in numerous literary journals. Two of her books have been nominated for the Pulitzer Prize, Firecracker Red, a powerful collection of poems set squarely in the earth, and Crossing The Double Yellow Line, a journey of sharp turns and hair-pin curves. Her work has appeared in three more volumes, After I Fall, a collection of four Los Angeles poets, Over To You, an exchange of poems with David Widup, and 13 Los Angeles Poets, the ONTHEBUS Poets Series Number One. (Bombshelter Press.) Dr. Lee received her Ph.D. from Honolulu University. Now Editor Emeritus at RATTLE, a literary journal, she serves presently on the editorial board at Curbstone Press, www.curbstone.org. She teaches privately, and at writers workshops. Stellasue was born in the year of the dragon.

Robert Frost said, There are two kinds of language: the spoken language and the written language;–our everyday speech which we call the vernacular, and a more literary, sophisticated, artificial, elegant language, that belongs to books. We object to anybody’s talking in this literary, artificial English; we don’t object to anybody’s writing in it. We rather expect people to write in a literary, somewhat artificial style. I, myself, could get along very well without this bookish language altogether. Get ready for some fun.

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Spring Hill poet gets second Pulitzer nod

Stellasue Lee to teach workshop next month

By Jill Cecil Wiersma • THE TENNESSEAN • September 8, 2010

SPRING HILL — Stellasue Lee may have a knack for turning grief into praiseworthy literature. The Spring Hill resident has earned a second entrant for a Pulitzer Prize, this time for her new book of poetry firecracker RED. She was nominated in 2000 for Crossing The Double Yellow Line.

The Los Angeles transplant was halfway through writing firecracker RED when she moved here two years ago with husband, photographer Eric L. Hansen.

She read aloud one entry “Out of Nowhere,” a poem about hiding in a closet as a child from her father: “With yet another freshly poured drink, talking to the dead men in his unit, back riding the waves toward Omaha Beach.” Her eye’s eyes welled with tears, and her emotions became more apparent.

“I think that as I age, the losses pile on top of each other and become more devastating,” she said. ”My father’s been dead 50 years,” she said, chucking apologetically for her reaction. But that vulnerability has been her strong suit. She said she makes her poetry accessible by writing of common experiences and by speaking plainly. Often, the topic is death and grief. ”You give enough detail that allows the reader to relate to you; they can apply that to their own life,” she said. “You simply give them enough information to be in that moment with you.”

Lee is teaching a poetry workshop Oct. 2, 16, 23, and 30 at the Spring Hill Arts Center. Workshops she held last year at the library in Columbia filled up in the first day. By the second day, 36 people asked to be on a waiting list.

This time around, she’s not limiting the number of participants. She believes the city is full of newcomers, like herself, who long for an outlet to express themselves, and she’s eager to encourage them.

“I always start where I am,” she explained. “I never think, ‘Oh, that would make a good poem.’ I am just opening my journal and writing. I don’t know where it’s going to go.”

Poetry is one of 21 Pulitzer categories. The recipients are named in April and honored in May at a luncheon at Columbia University. Lee said she doesn’t count on winning this time — or ever.

“The chance I would get it are slim, slim, slim to none because I’m not affiliated with a university,” she said.

But that’s not disappointing for Lee, who said she’s more interested in shared human experiences. Spring Hill has nearly quadrupled in size over the last 10 years, and Lee said she identifies with those new to the community.

“There’s a real loss in that feeling of uprooting and having to find new doctors, new dentists, starting your kids in new schools. There’s real grief in that,” she said. “Those feelings are valid, even if it’s as simple as feeling like a stranger walking around in a market. There’s a real disconnect and loss.

“I want to teach people how to put that down on paper,” she said.

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Purchase this Photo

Stellasue Lee of Spring Hill is nominated for her second Pulitzer Prize for her book of poetry, Firecracker Red. (JEANNE REASONOVER / THE TENNESSEAN)

Brown Bag Lunch Bunch

Stellasue Lee
Pulitzer entrant

Friday, May 14
11 am – 1 pm

Stellasue will be talking about her new book, Firecracker Red. Stellasue Lee is also author of Crossing The Double Yellow Line, and published by Cardinal House Publishing. Stellasue will address the elements of publishing and what it takes to get your work and/or art in print.

For more information about Stellasue, please visit www.stellasuelee.com.

Grab your lunch and join us for a lunchtime of artistic fun and camaraderie. Bring a sample of your artwork to share with the group if you wish! The event is free and open to the public.
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Saturday, April 24th at 7 p.m. at Rippavilla Plantation

For more information on the location, go to http://www.rippavilla.org/
STELLASUE LEE reads from her new manuscript

FIRECRACKER RED AT RIPPAVILLA

Stellasue Lee, Pulitzer Prize entrant for her poetry,

reads from her newest book of poetry

Firecracker Red

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Williamson County Library presents

“The 20 Minute Poem for Busy People”

Stellasue Lee, published poet, will teach this class for people who think they don’t have time to write. She will show them a process by which they can produce a publishable piece in 20 minutes.

Saturday, April 24th, 9:30 a.m. to Noon at Williamson County Library

FREE
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Poetry reading Saturday at Grace Episcopal Church in Spring Hill

SPRNG HILL — Dr. Stellasue Lee will be featured in a live poetry reading at 6:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 8, at Grace Episcopal Church. She will be joined by Ramon Presson of Thompson Station, an author and columnist. “There is a reason why th…

1.5K – Aug. 5, 2009; scored 294.0
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SPRING HILL SENTINEL Of The

Kiwanis Club of
Spring Hill
Tennessee

P.O. Box 1822
Spring Hill
Tennessee 37174

Kiwanis’ Defining Statement
Kiwanis is a global organization of volunteers dedicated to changing the world one child and one community at a time.
July 14 – Stellasue Lee, PhD, made a delightful presentation touching on a variety of subjects. We all learned more about writing and the passion one must have to persevere in this field of endeavor. She wanted to make a difference. She said she writes to touch the core within the reader. Poetry shares your emotional outlook, and liberates your speech. Good poems cause reflections. Dr. Lee noted our passion to touch the hearts of others, and had praise for our efforts.

This Ain’t Your Grandmother’s Poetry Reading August 8, 2009

6:45 PM at Grace Episcopal Church

5291 Main Street, Spring Hill, TN

Call 931-489-3223 for information. Light refreshments

Readers to be Stellasue Lee, Ph.D

and

Ramon Presson, author and marriage counselor
A Lively Poetry Event at Rippavilla Plantation
* featuring Pulitzer entrant, Stellasue Lee and

Ramon Presson, author and marriage counselor
Rippavilla welcomes Stellasue Lee and Ramon Presson for an evening of poetry June 20, 2009 beginning at 7:00 p.m. Lee will be reading from a new body of work, Firecracker Red, due to be released by the end of the year. “To have a poetry salon in this historic home is a privilege.” Her book, Crossing The Double Yellow Line, February 2000, was an entrant for a Pulitzer Prize. Lee moved to Spring Hill with her husband, the artist Eric L. Hansen a year ago. She received her Ph.D. from
Honolulu University. Now Editor Emeritus at RATTLE, a literary journal, she presently serves on the editorial board at Curbstone Press in Connecticut.
Ramon Presson, author of a dozen non-fiction books, readily confesses that his first love is poetry, an affection rewarded as a young adult with an Academy of American Poets prize. An enthusiastic student of Stellasue Lee, she says about her apprentice, “Ramon has a rare ability for language. His humor, tenderness, and intelligence all allow the reader to identify and stand beside him within the poem.” A firm believer that poetry can speak both with a deep voice and a mischievous grin, Presson will read from his collection, “The Twelve Steps for Poets Anonymous”.

For more information on the location, go to http://www.rippavilla.org/

Transplanted Pulitzer Poet Feels Right at Home
“I’m from California. I know about earthquakes, not tornadoes.” Understanding the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning is one of the few adjustments to Tennessee that Stellasue Lee has not made quickly. The Pulitzer entrant for poetry and her husband Eric Hansen moved to Spring Hill in 2007 and the transplanting has been very smooth for the west coast native.

“I think I had been trying to leave Los Angeles all my life. The first time we came to Nashville I woke to birds singing, to a clear sky without smog. I breathed in each day. The lush green of lawns and real trees and spacious pastures opened to me. I feel differently in Tennessee.” But it wasn’t just the climate and inspiring landscape that impressed her.

“We joined a small church in Spring Hill and people were happy to see us, welcomed us, made us feel part of the community whereas in Los Angeles, I would arrive late, sit in a corner, and leave early. I lived in the same house for 17 years in L.A. and once in a great while, I would see a neighbor and wave, but here, I’ve made friends, good friends of my neighbors. I can honestly say that I love them.”

Writers can often lead a more isolated life and can even be reclusive, but Stellasue Lee is one of the most accessible authors you’ll meet. And if you live in Spring Hill long enough you’ll probably meet her. Not because she has time to just wander and mingle about town. This decorated poet, university instructor, and editor emeritus of one of the country’s most prestigious literary journals keeps a steady schedule of writing and teaching. Over the years she has moved from teaching in the classroom to teaching students one-on-one all over the U.S. via phone and e-mail correspondence.

“While I work out of my home writing and teaching students I’ve become a social butterfly. I’ve made more friends in one year than in all my life in California. I led a journaling workshop at the Maury County Library and I’d liked to offer more writing workshops like that. I’ve joined the Williamson County Arts Council and the Spring Hill Arts Council. I have this great desire to share with my community what I’ve spent a lifetime of studying to know and practice.”

Ramon Presson is one of those students, but he doesn’t live several states away, more like a few streets over. It’s a long story how they connected but they have developed quite a bond. Says Presson, an author and marriage and family therapist who lives in Thompson Station, “How often does a Pulitzer caliber writer move into your subdivision? And one who gladly takes on individual students! I feel incredibly blessed. I have learned more in 9 months studying and writing with Stellasue than I have in the past 20 years of self-study and taking workshops.”

A successful non-fiction author, Presson insists this is the most fun he’s ever had writing. “I started writing poetry as a young person and received some awards and publication. But when I began writing and publishing articles and books I seemed to lose my poetic voice. I wondered where the poet went and I doubted I’d ever get him back.”

Stellasue certainly has reawakened the poet in Presson. Says Ramon, “It’s not just that I’m writing poetry again, but I’m writing at a level I didn’t know I was capable of.” And there’s no mistaking whom he credits for that blooming. “I tell her that she is my Mr. Miyagi and I’m her Karate Kid. She is so knowledgeable of the craft of writing and so skilled at teaching. And so encouraging. Do you know how many writers would have me killed off so they could take my position here?”

The master and the apprentice began looking for an opportunity to do a public reading together of a selection of their original poems. Rippavilla Plantation was immediately charmed by the idea and is playing enthusiastic host to the ticketed event on Saturday evening June 20th. Beginning at 7pm the duo will share the stage for a presentation called Firecracker Red, with refreshments and reception to follow. Tickets are $4 at the door and proceeds will go to the preservation efforts of Rippavilla Plantation.

Says Stellasue, “There is a reason why this presentation is called firecracker RED… it is going to be popping, crackling poems about life, love, marriage, children, struggle, and faith.” Lee and Presson share a concern that poetry is often perceived as either sappy or impossible to understand. The pair is adamant that good poetry is accessible, that a high quality of writing should not soar over the heads of readers. Says Lee, “If the reader or listener doesn’t understand the poem, the writer has not done their job.” Presson nods, “Henry Kissinger once said that if you’re famous and you bore people they think it’s their fault. I have little patience for poems and poets who presume the right to bore readers in the name of high art.” The mischievous look on the faces of Lee and Presson suggest that this poetry event will be anything but boring.

Stellasue relishes the opportunity to bring more attention to the literary arts in this region that is so rich in creativity. Mindful that she lives in the shadow of Music City, she is fond of reminding all that every songwriter is a poet first before they are a singer. Her eyes sparkle when she speaks of Spring Hill and writers in the same sentence and you can tell the wheels in her head are spinning with ideas. Says the star poet about middle Tennessee “This is not only home now, I feel like this was the place where I should have been born.” It is safe to say that regardless of where Stellasue Lee should have been born, her adopted community is just glad she’s here now.

See samples of poetry at www.StellasueLee.com and www.RamonDPresson.typepad.com
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* featuring Pulitzer entrant, Stellasue Lee
and

Ramon Presson, author of a dozen non-fiction books, readily confesses that his first love is poetry, an affection rewarded as a young adult with an
Academy of American Poets prize. An enthusiastic student of Stellasue Lee, she says about her apprentice, “Ramon has a rare ability for language. His humor, tenderness, and intelligence all allow the reader to identify and stand beside him within the poem.” A firm believer that poetry can speak both with a deep voice and a mischievous grin, Presson will read from his collection, “The Twelve Steps for Poets Anonymous”.

For more information on the location, go to http://www.rippavilla.org/
Transplanted entrant for the Pulitzer Prize in poetry, she feels right at home. “I’m from California. I know about earthquakes, not tornadoes.” Understanding the difference between a tornado watch and a tornado warning is one of the few adjustments to Tennessee that Stellasue Lee has not made quickly. A Pulitzer entrant for poetry, she and her husband Eric Hansen, moved to Spring Hill in 2007 and the transplanting has been very smooth for the west coast native.

The master and the apprentice began looking for an opportunity to do a public reading together of a selection of their original poems. Rippavilla Plantation was immediately charmed by the idea and is playing enthusiastic host to the ticketed event on Saturday evening June 20th. Beginning at 7pm the duo will share the stage for a presentation called firecracker RED, with refreshments and reception to follow. Tickets are $4 at the door and proceeds will go to the preservation efforts of Rippavilla Plantation.

See samples of poetry at www.StellasueLee.com and www.RamonDPresson.typepad.com
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Firecracker Red: