Jenny BatesJenny Bates, born and raised in Michigan, resides as poet in the foothills of North Carolina. She is a member of Winston-Salem Writers, NC Poetry Society and the NC Writers Network. She has four published books, Opening Doors: an epilogue of poetry aout Donkeys (Lulu Publishing, Raleigh, NC) and Coyote with Coffee (Catbird on the Yadkin Press, Tobaccoville, NC). Both books reside in the collections of libraries and universities (Vanderbilt and the University of Vermont) in the United States and England. The University of North Carolina School of the Arts displays her poem, A Bluebird Heart for Aaron Shearer as a tribute to the Classic Guitar master. Her work has also been published in Flying South, Winston-Salem Writers' premier literary work. She is a consecutive, contributing poet in the Winston-Salem WritersNorth Carolina Poetry Society series Poetry in Plain Sight and in 2017 she was a top 10 Finalist in the Press 53 Single Poem Contest. On the 100th Anniversary of WWI, she was asked to write poetry launching a website dedicated to the history and contributions of Donkeys and Mules during WWI. These poems now reside in the archives of the Animals in War memorial in London. Her poetry is a reflection of her philosophy of life: All humans have learned about being human by what we have gained from observing our fellow animals. With a much longer history than humans, animals have learned perhaps not to accept, but to respect their differences. Her work has been published in Wild Goose Poetry Review, Old Mountain Press, and Hermit Feathers Review. Jenny's poetry has appeared in laJoie 2017- 2019, a quarterly publication of Animals' Peace Garden, dedicated to promoting appreciation for all beings. Her work has also appeared in the following: As It Ought To Be Magazine, Poetry That Sustains Us, Word Doodles Literary Magazine, Caldwell Arts Council Western Regional Poetry Competition, 2020, Silver Birch Press, Griffin Poetry (blog), Red Headed Stepchild, Self-Educating Poets, From Whispers to Roars, Voices on the Wind, Nexus Poetry Prize, 2021, Indelible Arts Journal 2022. She took Honorable Mention in 2022 for her poem, A Space Away from the Sun, in the Carolina Writer's Prize Contest, and two poems, were featured in the inaugural issue of the WFDD Poetry Journal in Winston-Salem, NC. In 2019 her poem Fame Looks Both Ways was included in the Walt Whitman Bicentennial Celebration for publication in Poets to Come. Bates' two most recent books are, Visitations (Hermit Feathers Press, 2019) and Slip, (Hermit Feathers Press, 2020). Read More Read Less