To Woman, From Man is a heartfelt poetry collection that honors women across history, family, love, and spiritual life through accessible, uplifting verse rooted in praise, witness, and encouragement. Why was this an important collection for you to write and publish?

With Women’s History approaching in March, I wanted to put together my poetry and prose in a book that would be relevant to women, that would honor women (both famous and non-famous women), and that would acknowledge the discredit, noncredit, and abuse of women over centuries. Also, I wished to challenge women to rise up for themselves and against challenges of today’s world. It was also important for me to acknowledge and express gratitude to significant women to me over my lifetime, including three of my school teachers, a college instructor, my Sunday school teacher, and the mother of my first male, neighborhood, childhood friends. Moreover, I dedicated To Woman, From Man to my dear mother who was the most significant woman in my life—a mother who was always present and supportive, who didn’t drink alcohol, smoke, or go to nightclubs.

How did your experiences with admiration, memory, faith, and counseling influence the voice and structure of this collection?

Famous author, the late Alex Haley, once stated as speaker at a conference that I attended, “If you see a turtle on top of a fence post, you know that it had to have help to get there.” I have, especially in my latter years of life, appreciated and reflected back upon people who have helped me along the journey of my growth and achievements. Many of these people have been women of character who cared deeply about me as they did about others. Moreover, I taught college courses in psychology and counseling and psychotherapy, mainly graduate students, with classes of more than 80 percent women, many who worked jobs and/or cared for their children while pursuing their studies for a master’s or doctoral degree. I respected these women’s perseverance and courage in pursuit of a higher academic degree. In addition, I counseled and supervised counseling cases of women who had been physically or sexually abused. These experiences, among others, influenced my thinking and worldview.

Moreover, I taught public school for one year after my bachelor’s degree, two full-time teaching positions at day and evening or night. Many of the students in the night school were pregnant, because during that time girls who became pregnant had to drop out of day public school and enroll in a night school program. One very rewarding class that I recall was a class of all pregnant teenage girls who were highly motivated to learn and listen. It was a joy to see them each evening and teach them, because I believed that they were learning and completing their high school diploma in order to provide a good life for their unborn child.

Of all the themes in the book, motherhood, grief, love, friendship, healing, and leadership, which felt most urgent for you to speak to, and why?

I don’t usually choose comparatively or use superlatives, because, in the case of these themes, all of them have their importance depending on a woman’s situation and the period or stage of her development. Regarding these themes, all women deal with most of these circumstances, challenges, and emotions at some point in their lives, such as untimely death of a child, death of a spouse or parent, marital divorce, loss of or conflicts in friendships, marital or relationship problems, gender discrimination in the job market, challenges of leadership, joys and challenges of motherhood, health problems, and physical/sexual abuse.

What guided your choice to include both globally known women and everyday, non-famous women in the same collection of tributes?

To me, all women, especially those of character or importance to others, are worthy of recognition and appreciation. For example, To Woman, From Man pays tribute to a housekeeper who works two jobs to put two children through college, a woman on the front desk of my fitness club who always greets members with a smile and by name and is always voluntarily helpful; a mother of nine children that included my childhood, neighborhood male friends—a mother who worked tirelessly as a wife, mother, neighborhood worker, and church member. Moreover, I include famous women of exceptional achievement whom I like and respect due to their character and high achievement against the odds—women such as Helen Keller (who achieved highly regardless of being both deaf and blind), Marie Curie (who earned two Nobel Prizes in science), Tina Turner (who transcended spousal abuse to excel in entertainment and become a positive role model for women), Harriet Tubman (for her courage and leadership), Serena Williams and Misty Copeland who rose to the highest level of their profession against odds, as well as other women of character and achievement. I also acknowledge and express gratitude to my three female medical doctors, my woman barber of 19 years, my woman accountant of 14 years, the two mothers of my sons who remain my close friends, a constant woman friend of more than 55 years, and my two amazing granddaughters.

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