My husband and I have lived on a small organic farm in southwest Oregon since 1975. I’ve worked variously as a landscaper, nursery worker, apple picker, library assistant, travel agent, social worker, and volunteered for several years at a wildlife rehab and education center caring for resident raptors and wolves. I would source my primary vocation as a naturalist. Some of my poems relate to childhood memories and trauma. Some were also written in reaction to current events that have moved me in the news. I also write poems to release my feelings of both joy and dread at what I see as I go about my daily tasks working on our organic farm. The joy comes from my close connection to the earth and the myriad creatures that inhabit it. My experience working with wild animals means they inhabit my dreams and demand to have their stories told. The local wildlife and landscape are an endless source of discovery and refuge for me. The dread comes from seeing the damage that is being inflicted on the earth through pollution, deforestation, etc. These things too haunt my dreams and show up in my work. My hope is that these poems might inspire readers to contemplate our relationship with and impact on the natural world and the other life forms that inhabit it.
Barbara's poetry has appeared in numerous journals and her first book of poetry published by Flowstone Press in 2021, What Remains, is currently available at the Guild Gallery & Art Center. What Remains is a collection of 31 of Barbara Parchim's poems – published and unpublished. These poems span love, loss, renewal and joy as well as intimate feelings and connections experienced in nature over a lifetime. They convey stories of the places we call home and our relationship to the landscapes that nourish us. The book is enhanced by the original artwork of Guild Member Pam Haunschild. To learn more about Barbara and her work, visit https://www.barbaraparchim.com
"Parchim's poetry gently fondles the intimate heart of Mother Nature -- earth and sky, love and loss." - Thomas Carlisle, Poet
"Barbara’s ecologically-based poetry foretells trouble ahead for our world, but on a keenly observed personal scale." - Steve Utt, climate scientist