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Margaret Leith Minter
Canada
E-mail Address: minterm@telus.net
Please include the word 'POETRY' in the subject line of any email you send.
Why write poetry, Poet?
I write poetry for relaxation and to put into words situations I feel
strongly about. I especially enjoy writing about everyday things around us.
World leaders can rant and rave, but they can never take away our enjoyment
of the natural world. They cannot destroy the beauty of a sunset, or the
intricacies in a spiderweb, or the magic of moonlight.
How did you get started writing poetry?
I started writing for children when I was teaching in Elementary School. I
found that many textbooks were sadly lacking in poetry suitable for the
classroom. I wish they would encourage children to write more poetry. It is
an excellent exercise in mastering the English language. I have gradually
expanded into poetry for adults and now that I'm retired I have lots of
time.
Who were your influences?
Being a transplanted Scot, I have to say Rabbie Burns, Robert Louis Stevenson, who wrote
some marvellous poems for children, and my late father, Tom Morrison, who wrote poetry and songs in the Doric.
Favourite Poetic Verse
Burns' Tam O'Shanter. The rhyming is absolutely effortless and natural.
I also love the old cornkisters of rural Aberdeenshire. They reflect the life
of the small farmer, when every day was a challenge but yet they managed to
enjoy themselves. I wasn't raised on a farm but my family are from farming
stock.
Apart from Scottish verse, I enjoy Shakespeare's Sonnets and the works of Tennyson and Keats.
Publications
I have had a book of children's poetry and stories published and several
examples have been accepted by text-book companies in Canada.
Examples of poetry.
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Who are the Scots?
Alistair Forbes-Mackay (1878 - 1914) Navy surgeon who reached the Magnetic South Pole (as part of Shackleton's expedition) in 1909, three years before Amundsen and Scott reached the Geographic South Pole.
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