Miriam was born and raised in Gordo, AL. She began reading and writing at the tender age of 4. A self-professed nerd, Miriam's favorite pastime has always been reading and has found liberation in going on the journey with an author into the world's they create. It was in the 10th grade of high school that the fiction and poetry bug bit Miriam. Guided by her English teacher, Mrs. Lewis, she fell in love with William Shakespeare, John Milton, Robert Frost and Geoffrey Chaucer. Miriam studied English and Creative Writing at the University of Alabama. She also holds an MA in Humanities with a concentration in Literature from California State University, Dominguez Hills. Miriam is an author, wife, mother, and full time US Army Officer. She is the author of two books of poetry. The ability to express oneself through fiction, poetry, and narrative is a solitary journey and adventure that she finds cathartic and liberating. Everyone has a voice and a story to tell and when universal themes, thoughts, needs, and feelings reach others, there is a communication that goes far beyond speech. Language can be bonding or divisive. She loves to play with words and symbolism and explore different subjects that she finds intriguing. In Confessions and Other Strange Impulses: A Book of Poetry in Two Acts, she wanted to explore the sacrament of reconciliation, secret thoughts, confessions, and self identity. The journey to find self combines all these subjects and are exciting to play with. How one identifies oneself in terms of race (biological vs. sociological), how the world identifies that person, and how both affect emotions deep down is intriguing. With Stage Left, she chose the theme of music/ballet for two reasons. First, her daughter is a music and ballet lover and she wanted to use a theme that would express her admiration for her. Second, the poetry in this book focuses on the sound of words, their musicality, and staging of scenes to reflect the music we hear in our heads everyday. There is no doubt that arranging words is quite similar to arranging notes in a music composition. It all comes together at the end. Ballet has been a love of Miriam's and she has studied it extensively. A ballerina tells a story with her body and she wanted this book to shadow the flow and elegance of a ballerina. She is currently pursuing an MFA in Creative Writing and a PhD in English. She is married to David A. Dufer III and they have one daughter, Youngsun Kim.
1. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne. This book is very encouraging and simply breathtaking. It doesn't tell anything that we don't already know about life but it puts it into perspective and makes things actionable. God wants so much for us and we have to open ourselves up to His blessings and sometimes make our own.
2. Lord of the Flies by William Golding. The classic tale of a group of English school boys who are left stranded on an unpopulated island, and who must confront not only the defects of their society but the defects of their own natures. I never tire of reading this book. It is truly a microcosm of society.
3. La Cucina by Lily Prior. I bought this book in Rome and read it on the train as I traveled. I laughed (out loud), cried, contemplated. This book is so detailed and beautiful. La Cucina combines the sensuous pleasures of love and food, simmering in the heat of a Sicilian kitchen. Rosa Fiore is a solitary middle-aged librarian who has resigned herself to a loveless life, and expresses her passionate nature through her delicious cooking. Then, one day, she meets an enigmatic chef, known only as l'Inglese, whose research on the heritage of Sicilian cuisine leads him into Rosa's library and into her heart. They share one sublime summer of discovery, during which l'Inglese awakens the power of Rosa's sexuality, and together they reach new heights of culinary passion. When he vanishes unexpectedly, Rosa returns to her family's estate to grieve for her lost love only to find a new fulfillment as well as many surprises in the magic of her beloved Cucina. A love song to Italy, La Cucina is a celebration of all things sensual. It spills over with intense images, colors, fragrances, and exuberant characters, all reflecting the splendor of the Sicilian countryside in which it is set.
4. The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton. Three brothers struggle to stay together after their parents' death, as they search for an identity among the conflicting values of their adolescent society in which they find themselves "outsiders."
5. Empress of the Death House by Toi Derricotte. This was the first Derricotte book that I read. I met her in 1995 at Stillman College at a poetry reading and I immediately fell in love with her work. She was the inspiration and topic of my MA Thesis. The poetry in this book is bar none some of the best imagery ever. Derricotte makes you feel, laugh, cry, and celebrate with each poem.
6. The Black Notebooks: An Interior Journey by Toi Derricotte. This book was actually the catalyst for my MA Thesis. As I was reading Derricotte's words, I wondered why I identified with them so greatly although I can not pass for white as she can. The way she deals with race and self-identification is so fascinating and this book should be on every one's shelf.
1. I love journals. I collect them when I travel. My most prized journal is a fine leather bound that I picked up in Roma, Italia. The smell of the leather is hypnotizing and the paper is unbelievable.
2. I'm an Etymology nerd. I love to learn the origin of words and their meanings. My 10th grade English teacher, Mrs. Lewis, turned me on to this and I have been obsessed with Etymology since. I suppose that is why I became an English major. Language is so powerful.
3. When I was 13 years old, I wanted to be a nun. Born and baptized a Baptist, I'm sure this was an odd aspiration. Nonetheless, I was completely fascinated with nuns. As a Catholic convert, my fascination still exists and I love my faith. To totally dedicate oneself to God's work is incredible and selfless. My conformation name is Theresa, after Saint Theresa of Liseux and Mother Teresa. My daughter's baptismal name is also Theresa. While I was in Iraq, I prayed Mother Teresa's Prayer and it comforted me. I do pray that more people will enter the vocation as we are short on priests.
4. I have no regrets in my life. I'm human and of course I've had difficult times and made mistakes but I believe that every moment of our past leads us to where we are supposed to be. If you live with regret, you miss the blessings before you. Life is a journey. I try to look at difficulties as opportunities to grow and change.
