Madeline Sharples

Although I worked most of my professional life as a technical writer and editor, grant writer, and proposal manager, I fell in love with poetry and creative writing in grade school. I pursued my writing interests by studying journalism and writing for the high school newspaper, and I studied journalism in college. However, I only began to fulfill my dream to be a professional writer late in life.

My memoir, Leaving the Hall Light On, about how my family and I survived my older son's suicide, as a result of his bipolar disorder, was released by Lucky Press LLC on Mother's Day 2011. I also co-authored a book about women in nontraditional professions called Blue-Collar Women: Trailblazing Women Take on Men-Only Jobs (New Horizon Press, 1994) and co-edited the poetry anthology, The Great American Poetry Show, Volumes 1 (Muse Media, 2004) and 2 (2010). I wrote the poems for two photography books, The Emerging Goddess and Intimacy (Paul Blieden, photographer). Many of my poems have appeared online and in print magazines in the last few years.