Barbara J. Hamby

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Do Tell (or Don’t)

A question that often arises for me, as a writer, is how much to reveal in poems, memoirs, and even on my blog. I know highly successful writers who just open a vein and let it all hang (or tumble) out. I am sometimes surprised at how much they are willing to reveal about themselves.

When I first began writing poetry for publication around twenty years ago, I was very open. My poetry was described as “very accessible.” When my daughter gave her in-laws a copy of my first poetry book, her father-in-law read it and remarked that he felt he really knew who I was through my poems.

Now that I’m working on memoirs, I feel a reticence about sharing every moment of my life.  Perhaps it?’ because I’m older and wiser (don’t I wish?). The climate of Big Brother watching that is beginning to prevail in this country is an influence on me I’m sure. I remember the McCarthy era and its aftermath. I remember J. Edgar Hoover and his fat files on innocent citizens. I had older friends who wouldn’t allow their names to be put on any mailing lists out of the fear that those experiences fostered.

However, I probably don’t have time to write every little detail of my history, so I’ll try to hit all the highlights that are “fit to print,” as they say.