Starkville native Laurie Parker is quite the multi-talented artist. Whether she is crafting words or collage artwork, Parker’s creativity is heavily influenced by the rich culture of the American South.
Parker began creating collage artwork as a child, and she relates that she is much better with cutting and pasting paper than a paintbrush. These collages have often become Parker’s illustrations for books of poetry or for her children’s books. Parker also spends a great deal of time selling her wares at various markets and festivals. Parker creates canvases of her collage work, and she makes jewelry (as well as other creations) which can only be purchased at in-person events.
Much of Parker’s poetry is based on “southernness.” In her latest book, Fistfuls of Starlight, offers poetry that we can all relate to – “Ode to the Screen Door” and “Ode to Cornbread” are just two examples.
However, poetry isn’t Ms. Parker’s only method of writing. She has published a total of eighteen books, including five novels. The Matchstick Cross (2013), Yonder Breaks the Morning (2014), Hush, Swing, Hush (2015), Trespassers Talking (2016), and Gently Scattered Intentions (2018).
Each of these novels is set in Mississippi – one in Oxford, one in Meridian, one in the MS Delta. Parker says that some of her novels are based on personal experience, while she often utilizes fictional characters and situations for the “bigger, more dramatic storylines” in the books. However, Parker notes, “In my novels, the little things often come from real life.”
Parker is also an avid gardener who continues to write poetry regularly. She will be at the Winston County Library on Friday, April 28. The Friends of the Library will provide free sack lunches for the first 24 participants.
