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Donald Kihm
Born and raised in that part of northeast Ohio where steel was king, the Mahoning Valley, I learned that imagination was a trusted resource for getting me through washing dishes, scrubbing floors, ...view moreBorn and raised in that part of northeast Ohio where steel was king, the Mahoning Valley, I learned that imagination was a trusted resource for getting me through washing dishes, scrubbing floors, the usual jobs given a child or a teen. Two events stand out: the first when the family Brownie box camera became mine; the second when fingering a plastic recorder called Flutaphone well enough to render simple tunes without mistake. Visual images wedded musical sounds forming my approach to composing verse.
As well, shared experiences were the norm on college campuses. Time spent at Youngstown State (A.B.), Ohio U (M.A.), Indiana U and IUPUI, Columbus (post graduate work) was transformative since so many points-of-view mingled and horizons expanded. That so many people came together for a learning experience amazed me, so I became an English teacher.
Calling Columbus, Indiana, home, I helped teens appreciate the complexities of our language, hoping that some would turn on to the subject. As well, tasks involving judgment came my way: referee, umpire, jury foreman, speech contest official, etc. The arts became another interest: I acted in many Arts Guild plays and saw other performances and art exhibits in the region. Likewise, reading, traveling, hiking, collecting art, ceramics, music cds became hobbies.
Like an Oscar Peterson concert, a happening can overwhelm, become memorable. Such was the case during a mid-October snowfall of eight inches, and I decided to express the event in verse. Poetry remained in the classroom, for I had never written anything worthy of publication. Walking a golf course across the street was quite exhilirating, my prints the first on the mostly white landscape. This marked my entry into writing for others, a sharing of life. Thusly, my bio has been brim full of neat sounds, places, events, people,... always the interesting people.view less