From Lawyer to Poet with Lynne Thompson
- From Lawyer to Poet with Lynne Thompson Jane Leder 30:47
This episode is the first of several that celebrates older female artists. If you or someone you know fits the bill, please email me at j.leder@comcast.net.
What makes an artist tick? How can she find the time to create, given all the demands of everyday life? What barriers do female artists face that many men do not? How important is having a purpose in life about which you feel passionate ?
What do you do when you wake up one morning with a voice in your head saying, “What's wrong with your life is that you're not writing poetry.” That's what happened to Lynne Thompson who, at the time, had been a lawyer for fifteen years.
It's no secret that poets don't rack in the big bucks. And it's easy to stroll through a bookstore or browse on an online site without seeing a massive poetry collection. Still, if you're Lynne, you're going to figure out a way to make it all work.
She left the law firm and took a less stressful job. She used every spare minute to write, to read, to attend as many poetry readings as she could. “We waste a lot of time in our lives,” she said. “The challenge is to carve out sacred time when no one and no thing can take your attention away. If you're patient, you can work around the demands of everyday life.” Â
Today, Lynne is an award-winning poet, the Poet Laureate Emeritus of Los Angeles, and the author of three books, the most recent of which was released earlier this year. (see below.)Â Many of her poems celebrate the strength and resilience of women who find joy and Wisdom, despite all the forces that can make such a journey an uphill one.
Lynne's passion for her creative life is contagious.
Don't miss this episode!
Books available on most online book sites
Blue on a Blue Palette ( BOA Editions, 2024)
Fretwork (March Hawk Press, 2019)
Start With A Small Guitar (What Books Press, 2013)
Beg No Pardon (Perugia Press, 2007)
