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Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Joy Neal Kidney and a review #poetry #TreasuringPoetry #poetrycommunity

Posted: August 20, 2025 | Author: | Filed under: Uncategorized |77 Comments
Picture caption: Banner for Treasuring Poetry 2025

Today, I am delighted to introduce Joy Neal Kidney, poet and writer of historical memoirs.

What is your favourite style of poetry to read i.e. haiku, ballad, epic, freestyle, etc.?

Free verse.

What is your favourite poem in your favourite style to read?

Also free verse.

Meadowlark by Nicholas Dowd

Every morning that summer

Brought a premonition

A sense of something pending

Fencerows buzzed with it

Breezes whispered it to the corn

Meadowlarks sang it at sunrise

Some nights we wondered

What might lie ahead, but

All we could do was listen

Waiting for the song of the lark

To drift across our field at dawn.

Note: Nicholas Dowd writes poignant free verse but isn’t published, yet. He allowed me to share this one in Leora’s Letters: The Story of Love and Loss for an Iowa Family During World War II. (Another of his poems, “Morrisburg Cemetery,” opens Leora’s Early Years: Guthrie County Roots.)

What is your favourite style of poetry to write?

I’ve tried several styles but keep coming back to free verse, for the freedom it offers as I sculpt the words and thoughts. 

What is your favourite of your own poems?

That Fateful Sunday Dinner

The clink of silverware,

Sammy Kaye’s Sunday Serenade,

amiable background music

for Iowa after-church diners.

The scent of Evening in Paris 

mingles with that of pot roast.

A news bulletin interrupts 

a smooth danceable melody:

Pearl Harbor has been attacked.

Diners gasp, ask a flock of questions.

Does this mean we’re at war?

Where is Pearl Harbor?

Doris, in her gold waitress uniform, 

shudders. One brother in the navy, 

and her other brothers

are “all the wrong ages.”

Five brothers serve.

Only two come home. 

This was published in Lyrical Iowa 2023. Doris was my mother. (Lyrical Iowa 2025 will include another poem, “Learning How to Vote, 1920,” as the First Honorable mention in the National/World Events category. It’s about my great grandmother, Leora’s mother.)

Please tell us about your poetry book, Meadowlark Songs: A Motherline Legacy. How did this book come about? How does this book fit with your historical books about Leora?

Books by three authors sparked the idea of capturing the women of my motherline in vignettes: Luanne Castle’s Kin Types, Elizabeth Gauffreau’s Grief Songs: Poems of Love & Remembrance, and The Horse Lawyer and Other Poems by Greg Seeley. Greg’s book captures three generations on the same Iowa farm, beginning with his Civil War ancestor. 

Meadowlark Songs covers seven generations. The legacy of a small log church was nurtured through my motherline and woven into the blessing and mystery of my own inheritance. Glimpses into the lives of these women, along with cameo appearances of the men they married, reveal a legacy of faith and hope while navigating challenging times and great losses. 

My other books cover Grandma Leora’s life through WWII, when she lost three sons during WWII and was widowed shortly afterwards. I was born during the war and I’m her oldest granddaughter. She was a delight as a grandmother, who lived to the age of 97. She’s the fifth generation in Meadowlark Songs, “The Heart of Her Family.”

My review of Meadowlark Songs: A Motherline Legacy

Picture caption: cover of Meadowlark Songs: A Motherline Legacy featuring a meadowlark

This historical memoir is written as a series of interrelated poems which I though was a wonderful and unique idea. The book is divided into sections, each relating to a woman in the Motherline Legacy, and comprises of a series of poems relating to that individual, her life, spouse, circumstances and family. Each section shares a great deal of historical information about the specific time period and fascinating details about, inter alia, life, dress codes, work, and education. Such a novel way of sharing historical information and the highlights of each individual’s life.

Life was tough for the women featured in this collection. They worked incredibly hard, overcame obstacles including the deaths of children, siblings, and parents, and battled the elements, but they prevailed and built good lives for their families. There is a strong religious thread throughout the book demonstrating the importance of faith in each family’s life.

Due to my fascination with war, the sections about Leora (Goff) Wilson and her daughter, Doris (Wilson) Neal interested me the most as they included details about Leora’s five sons who all fought for the USA in WW2. Leora suffered the deaths of three, a terrible tragedy for one family.

The poetry is freestyle and provides a lot of insight into the characters of the Motherline women and their family members. The poems reminded me, over and over, how much easier life is now with fewer infant deaths and technology and appliances to make housework so much quicker and easier. One poem that really captivated me in its great sadness was Baby Marilyn.

This is a quote from Baby Marilyn:
“I was the third of seven Wilson kids,
now eight. It was 1931 and we had
to many mouths to feed.

I didn’t want another baby,
but she was beautiful and needed a name.
Mom suggested I name her.
Marilyn Louise. She was mine
to care for every day after school.

She died while I was at school,
just a month later.
A weak heart, the doctor said.
My arms were empty, helpless.”

A beautiful and interesting collection of poetry that weaves a story of several generations of mothers. This collection has certainly sparked my interest in reading this authors other historical novels about her family.

About Joy Neal Kidney

Picture caption: Author photograph of Joy Neal Kidney

Joy Neal Kidney is the oldest granddaughter of Leora Wilson and author of four “Leora books.” She lives in central Iowa with her husband, Guy (an Air Force Veteran of the Vietnam War and retired Air Traffic Controller). Their son and his wife live out-of-state with Joy’s only grandchild Kate, age eight.

A graduate of the University of Northern Iowa, Joy has lived with fibromyalgia for two dozen years, giving her plenty of home-bound days to write blog posts and books. 

Website: https://joynealkidney.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joy.kidney

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joy-neal-kidney

Twitter/X: https://x.com/JoyNealKidney

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/joynealkidney/

About Robbie Cheadle

Picture caption: Robbie Cheadle author picture

South African author and illustrator, Robbie Cheadle, has written and illustrated sixteen children’s books, illustrated a further three children’s books, and written and illustrated three poetry books. Her work has also appeared in poetry and short story anthologies.

Robbie also has two novels and a collection of short stories published under the name of Roberta Eaton Cheadle and has horror, paranormal, and fantasy short stories featured in several anthologies under this name.

You can find Robbie Cheadle’s artwork, fondant and cake artwork, and all her books on her website here: https://www.robbiecheadle.co.za/

________________________

Did you know you can sponsor your favorite blog series or even a single post with an advertisement for your book? Stop by the WtbR Sponsor Page and let me advertise your book, or you can make a donation to Writing to be Read for as little as a cup of coffee, If you’d like to show your support for this author and WordCrafter Press.

__________________________

This segment of “Treasuring Poetry” is sponsored by WordCrafter Press and the Poetry Treasures series.

Get Your Copy Today!

Poetry Treasures: https://books2read.com/PoetryTreasures

Poetry Treasures 2: Relationships: https://books2read.com/PT2-Relationships

Poetry Treasures 3: Passions: https://books2read.com/u/b5qnBR

Poetry Treasures 4:In Touch With Nature: https://books2read.com/PT4-Nature

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77 Comments on “Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Joy Neal Kidney and a review #poetry #TreasuringPoetry #poetrycommunity”

  1. willowdot21's avatar willowdot21 says:
    August 20, 2025 at 12:59 am

    A very interesting interview Robbie so nice to meet and read about Joy Neal Kidney.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  2. joynealkidney's avatar joynealkidney says:
    August 20, 2025 at 6:10 am

    Thank you, Robbie, for your generosity, and for leaving a review on Amazon and Goodreads!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  3. Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Joy Neal Kidney and a review #poetry #TreasuringPoetry #poetrycommunity – Robbie's inspiration says:
    August 20, 2025 at 6:32 am

    […] Treasuring Poetry – Meet poet and author, Joy Neal Kidney and a review #poetry #TreasuringPoetry #… […]

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. dgkaye's avatar dgkaye says:
    August 20, 2025 at 7:33 am

    Hi Robbie. This was a wonderful interview with Joy. I loved the poem she shared too. I just discovered I wasn’t getting notifications for posts here. It must have booted me off in a glitch. 🧡

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  5. Cindy Georgakas's avatar Cindy Georgakas says:
    August 20, 2025 at 8:33 am

    Thank you for introducing us to Joy, Robbie. Her poems are delightful and I love the weaving of history throughout. Such a treasured gift. I love her poems! 💓

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  6. Esther Chilton's avatar Esther Chilton says:
    August 20, 2025 at 8:41 am

    Thank you for this introduction to Joy, Robbie. Great to read about her poetry. The cover of the book is beautiful.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  7. Darlene's avatar Darlene says:
    August 20, 2025 at 10:17 am

    I love that Joy is documenting her family history through prose and poetry. A great interview.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  8. Ephemeral Encounters's avatar Ephemeral Encounters says:
    August 20, 2025 at 10:57 am

    What a beautiful way to document your family history in poetry Joy.

    So enjoyed your interview.

    Thank you for the introduction Robbie.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  9. beetleypete's avatar beetleypete says:
    August 20, 2025 at 12:15 pm

    Good to see Joy featured here, Robbie. She has so many fascinating historical connections in her extended family. Shared on Twitter.

    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  10. Dawn Pisturino's avatar Dawn Pisturino says:
    August 20, 2025 at 1:18 pm

    Lovely interview!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  11. memadtwo's avatar memadtwo says:
    August 20, 2025 at 5:32 pm

    How fortunate to have such a clear family line to trace. There’s a sense of belonging that is hard to acquire in any other way. Being descended from strong women is a good legacy to build on. (K)

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  12. Liz Gauffreau's avatar Liz Gauffreau says:
    August 20, 2025 at 5:55 pm

    Thank you for featuring Joy and Meadowlark Songs today! The book deserves a wide audience. Sharing.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  13. petespringer's avatar petespringer says:
    August 20, 2025 at 8:28 pm

    Joy is one of the gems in the blogging world, always with a kind and supportive word for others. Good to see her featured here, Robbie.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply
  14. Jacqui Murray's avatar Jacqui Murray says:
    August 21, 2025 at 7:55 am

    “Five brothers serve. Only two come home. “–that is heart-breaking. Even the changed law wouldn’t have helped.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  15. Jennie's avatar Jennie says:
    August 21, 2025 at 7:14 pm

    I so enjoyed this, Robbie. History is something we should never forget, and stories, like Joy’s, keep history alive.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  16. Lauren Scott, Author's avatar Lauren Scott, Author says:
    August 22, 2025 at 11:10 am

    A lovely interview, Robbie. Joy is an amazing poet, and I’ve read this book and Leora’s Letters. It’s wonderful that she shares her family’s history through her beautiful and poignant books. Congratulations to Joy for being featured. ❤️

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  17. Annette Rochelle Aben's avatar Annette Rochelle Aben says:
    August 23, 2025 at 4:31 pm

    Joy’s books are like winning the reading lottery! Terrific subject matter, great genres and writing that makes you want to get another!

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply
  18. joynealkidney's avatar joynealkidney says:
    August 24, 2025 at 2:22 pm

    Robbie, thank you so much for including me on your Treasuring Poetry feature. I’ve also enjoyed meeting your generous followers.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  19. Resa's avatar Resa says:
    August 24, 2025 at 7:55 pm

    Robbie, thank you for this lovely introduction to Joy and the review of her book of familial female history, through generations, via poetry. Yes, this a most unique approach. How wonderful.

    Congratulations to Joy!

    Kaye Lynne, thank you so much for hosting so many wonderful books and people on your blog!

    I adore the excerpts by Joy and Nicholas I read here to day. ❦🌟

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

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