Kimberly Greene Angle

I grew up on a small farm in Powder Springs, Georgia. We lived on a sandy dirt lane, and we had some chickens and three cows. Once we had a horse, but it bucked off my older sister—so that was the end of horses. My sisters, brother, and I have fond memories of gathering fresh eggs, being chased by cows, exploring swamps, and picking ripe strawberries that my mom would make into preserves in the firecracker-hot kitchen of a Georgia summer. My grandparents lived on a small farm next to ours, and my grandmother would also make true Southern meals with fresh vegetables from my granddad’s garden. My dad was also a significant figure in my childhood. Dad is always living life on the adventurous side—skydiving, scuba diving, hot-air balloon flying—and he taught me about living into possibility and faith. My mom immigrated to the U.S. at the age of fourteen from the Netherlands. So, on this side, I am a first-generation American—living out the American dream of my grandparents who left everything behind to come to this country after experiencing the atrocities of World War II. I was raised Southern Baptist and still rely on my faith and deep knowledge of the Bible in my writing and daily living. One of the most significant aspects of my childhood was living on twenty acres of woods and pasture in a rural setting. The land taught me so much about beauty, life, and spirituality.

A book that's been very influential in my life is "If You Want to Write" by Brenda Ueland. I highly recommend it to any aspiring writer. Along with Ueland, I believe that “everybody is “talented, original, and has something important to say.” It’s simply up to you to believe it for yourself and to work, work, work at getting it right. Words are powerful. They have the potential to change minds and hearts and, thus, the world. So, if you have the dream, begin writing today. Then write some more. And, no matter what, keep writing.