About Barbara Marie Minney

My poetry has been described as confessional, personal, raw, and authentic. I write intuitively insofar as content and form is concerned. I rarely hold anything back. I did not transition until I was 63 veers old. My poetry tends to focus on my struggles and triumphs as a transgender woman trying to live her truth, my struggle with mental health issues, and my relationships with my wife and others. I grew up being taught that being from Appalachia was something to be ashamed of and hide. I have in a very real sense written myself back into my past by incorporating my Appalachian heritage into my writing and fully embracing my identity as a Queer Appalachian and West Virginian.

Biography

I am a native of West Virginia and a seventh generation Appalachian. I am also a transgender woman, award winning poet, writer, speaker, teaching artist, guest reader/editor, and quiet activist. My poetry and essays have been published in numerous anthologies and publications, including “Politico,” “The Buckeye Flame,” “Women Speak: The Women of Appalachia Project,” and “I Thought I Heard A Cardinal Sing: Ohio’s Appalachian Voices.” My poetry has also been translated into Spanish. I am the author of four poetry collections: “If There’s No Heaven” (winner of the 2020 Poetry Is Life Book Award and an Akron Beacon Journal Best Northeast Book in 2020, the “Poetic Memoir Chapbook Challenge” (2021), “Dance Naked with God” (2023), and ” A Woman in Progress” winner of the 2024 American Fiction Award for Poetry Chapbook. I live in Tallmadge, Ohio, with my wife of over 42 years and a menagerie of stuffed animals. Follow me online at https://www.barbaramarieminneypoetry.com.

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Other Creative Skills

Literature: Non-fiction