Paula Durrant

Paula Durrant was a poet, entrepreneur, mother of seven, and loving grandmother whose warmth, quick wit, and creativity left a lasting impact on her family and friends.

She attended Groveton High School in Alexandria, Virginia, where she served as editor of the school newspaper. She later attended Brigham Young University (BYU), where she studied English and French and won the talent portion of the "Belle of the Y" pageant with her original poetry.

She began dating and then married David Durrant while at BYU, and together they raised seven children. Their home was a warm, inviting and lively place filled with laughter, singing and dancing.

Encouraged by an English teacher who recognized her talent for writing, most of Paula's poems were written during her junior high and high school years. She organized them into collections including The Land of Make Believe, On The Farm, and At Camp Fernwood, drawing inspiration from childhood adventures, summers at camp, and treasured memories of her grandparents' Vermont farm.

One of her best-loved works, Toadstool Hall, was written with her daughter Julie in the mid-1980s. The whimsical fairy tale was first publicly shared when Paula read it at her daughter Laura's garden wedding, where it was also printed in the wedding program. Years later, a wedding guest shared that she had read the poem to her young son so often that the program eventually wore out.

Today, Paula's poems continue to delight a new generation of readers through Heartfelt Publishing, founded by her daughter, Laura Durrant, to preserve and share her literary legacy.