On this page, you will find my poetry chapbooks and hybrid book with links for purchasing, a list of my most recent publications with links if available, links for free access to some of my writing, a few samples of my writing, and a list of my writing honors and awards. Just keep scrolling to the appropriate heading.
Published poetry chapbooks and hybrid book of nature poems and stories are available at http://Amazon.com (Search books by Suzanne Cottrell) and at http://Kelsaybooks.com.
Some of My Recent Publications
“No More Silence” and “Synchronous Night Lights” in Nature Poetry Anthology No. 1 tribute to Richard Streur, North of Oxford Literary Journal https://northofoxford.wordpress.com/?s=Suzanne+Cottrell, June, 2025
“Patch it up” and “Cut it out” in the April, 2025 online issue of Nailpolish Stories, A Tiny and Colorful Literary Journal https://nailpolishstories.wordpress.com/2025/05/01/april-2025/
“Bittersweet” in the anthology, Unbound Voices, by Fresh Voices, An International Literary Magazine https://www.lulu.com/shop/som/voices-unbound-an-international-anthology-of-poetry/paperback/product-m2m7ype.html?srsltid=AfmBOoopnd-XeoqoYJUKgrnnyjDV2nQrsq8kU-fCKYsI5SAZmuUud3W5&page=1&pageSize=4
“Prismatic Palette” on page 5 of the Spring, 2025 online issue of Remington Review https://www.flipsnack.com/remingtonreview/remington-review-spring-2025/full-view.html
“Unrelenting Gale” in the 2025 Spring print issue of The Avocet
“Wonderment of the Woods,” “Floral Comfort,” “Seasonal Gift,” “No More Silence,” and “Suspended Beauty were posted on the online Gallery for Nature of Our Times, Poets for Science https://www.flipsnack.com/remingtonreview/remington-review-spring-2025/full-view.html in January, 2025
“Not a Suitable Suitor” is in the Personal Story Publishing Project’s anthology Foiled, edited by Randell Jones and was recorded for his 6-minute story podcasts on July 12, 2025. You can listen to it here. https://www.randelljones.com/6minutestories/2025/7/12/not-a-suitable-suitor-by-suzanne-cottrell
Free Access to Some of My Writing
In September 17, 2020, “Ghost Harbingers” and Other Poems: “Out of Time,” “Celestial Clutter,” “Worm-ridden Republic,” and “Danger Below” were published on line at Literary Yard Magazine https://literaryyard.com/2020/09/17/ghost-harbingers-and-other-poems-by-suzanne-cottrell/
47 pieces of hint fiction, exactly 25-word stories, are posted on Nailpolish Stories, A Tiny and Colorful Literary Magazine https://nailpolishstories.wordpress.com/?s=Suzanne+Cottrell
On January 14, 2020, “No More Regrets,” “Escape,” and “Merciless Storm” were published in issue #14 of The Pangolin Review https://b717482d-1176-4764-b522-74b272050080.filesusr.com/ugd/ac271c_afd7e087d0b94400ab9015d7cff60de7.pdf
“Unexpected Visitors” about our trip to Palo Duro Canyon State Park in the Texas Panhandle was posted online at Parks and Points https://www.parksandpoints.com/southwest
“Timeless Land” about our family trip to the Craters of the Moon National Monument and Preserve in southern Idaho was posted online at Parks and Points https://www.parksandpoints.com/rocky-mountains
In January, 2018, my poem, “Aged,” was posted in issue #85 of Burningword Literary Journal https://www.burningword.com/2018/01/aged
On February 18, 2017, my skinny poem, “Urban Pandemonium,” was posted online at The Skinny Poetry Journal https://theskinnypoetryjournal.wordpress.com/2017/02/
A Few Samples of My Writing
“River Gifts,” my first published poem on July 26, 2016
In my daredevil youth, on steamy summer afternoons
seeking the thrill of rafting down a rushing river,
jostled by the rapids,
dodging logs,
ricocheting off rocks,
bobbing up and down like a cork,
listening to the water grumble,
beseeching me, “Slow down.”
Intensely focusing on my course,
scraping past more nested boulders,
taking risks, and overcoming challenges.
Exhilarating feats despite the cost—
If only I had sought an eddy
for respite and reflection.
Now in my advanced years,
preferring more tranquil rides,
tube floating down a calm river,
spying my reflection in the glassy surface,
dangling my feet and hands in the refreshing water,
drifting down the placid channel,
cradled by the gentle current,
welcoming the river’s gurgles,
“Take it easy; enjoy the scenery.”
Appreciating the shallow, amber water
transitioning to deep, bottle green at mid-stream,
sunlight shimmering off the riverbed’s sediment,
fish gently tickling my toes,
a wood duck paddling gracefully,
turtles sunning on a fallen tree trunk,
birds cheerfully serenading,
and honeysuckle’s sweet, floral fragrance
wafting in the breeze.
A predictable course with no unforeseen obstacles,
just cruising through life,
confident that I’m prepared
for whatever lies ahead.
Having traveled down this meandering river many times,
I now bid the river a final good-bye.
Soon, too, will I be retiring,
peaceful and content
Excerpt from my nonfiction story, “Calm Down”
Fly the pattern once, land, and I pass my solo flight. That’s all!
I climb into the pilot’s seat and secure the seat belt, and then I scan the area around the propeller, making sure it’s clear. Next, I crack the small window open and shout, “Clear.” After I prime the engine, turn on the master switch, and push the throttle forward slightly, the engine fires. The propeller spins until it spins so fast I can’t see the individual blades. Oil pressure, check; radio, check; wing flaps up, check. With my feet on the rudder pedals, they steer the plane on the ground, like my hands on a car’s steering wheel. Foot coordination had not been one of my strengths. I center the two-seater plane along the runway. Missing the voice of my instructor, I talk to myself for reassurance.
“Okay, here I go.” I pull on the yoke, which looks like half a car’s steering wheel, as I peer through the windshield. The plane’s nose angles upward and cuts through the air like a warm knife through butter. The speed builds to sixty knots, then seventy. For a moment, all I see is blue sky. I am a bird. The plane continues its ascent. When the airspeed reaches seventy-five knots, I trim the elevators, level off, and cut the fuel mixture from rich to lean. Smiling, I cruise, enjoying my freedom as I glance at the miniature world beneath me.
Then I bank to the left and start the crosswind segment of the flight pattern. I notice wisps of clouds in my peripheral vision. “Can’t be; I’m only at 800 feet.” My left leg twitches as more clouds drift toward the plane. I tap my finger on the altimeter, but it’s working. No time to enjoy the scenery. Don’t panic. Where’s the airport? Keep it in sight.
I can barely see the Knightdale Airport over my left shoulder. The office building resembles a tiny doll house. My mouth is desert dry; I can’t speak. Marshmallow clouds approach, obscuring my view. My left leg trembles so vigorously that I have to push my left hand to steady it. If I had a hammer, I would have nailed my leg in place; forget about pain.
Excerpt from my fictional story, “Wilted”
“Sharp sting. Don’t move,” said the tattoo artist. Within the folds of his rolled-up shirt sleeve, Carmen glimpsed a pack of cigarettes. She smelled his smoky clothes. Colorful spatters covered his jeans. Carmen hoped none of the spatters were blood. He had a full sleeve tattoo of tropical birds on his left arm. I hope my tattoo will be as beautiful as his. As he bent over, his hands were steady unlike Carmen’s nerves.
“Ouch.” Carmen fought to keep her left arm still. A burning sensation radiated down her arm as the needle vibrated and coursed colored ink across her biceps. Deep breaths. Relax. Take deep breaths. She told herself. The tattoo artist filled in two interlocking crowns of lilacs with lavender, deep amethyst, and then added heart-shaped, chartreuse leaves.
Carmen chose a tattoo of lilac crowns to represent her love and respect for her grandmother Estevan with whom she had lived since she was four years old. Lilacs were one of her grandmother’s favorite bushes that towered well above her five foot two stature. Two large lilac bushes grew in a corner of the yard near a cement, rock wall. Each May her grandmother cut clusters of lilacs and placed them in an engraved crystal vase on the dining room table. The blooms’ sweet aroma permeated the room like her grandmother’s kindness. Even in the winter, her grandmother brought in small, bare, lilac branches and sprayed them with fake snow. Her grandmother told her that lilacs symbolized love and wisdom.
My poem, “Bone Dry”
Bone Dry
Scorched, barren land
Blasts of arid wind
Blood orange dust swirled.
Sizzling worn, pitted sandstone
Withered desert marigolds
Moisture depleted.
Sunbaked skin
Parched lips
Unable to utter a word.
Scent of dampness
Somber thunderhead
Momentarily hid the sun.
Sank to her knees
Cocked back her head
Squeezed closed her eyes.
Tongue extended
Yearned for a taste
Dirty tracks etched her face.
Fleeting deluge
One cloud breathed life
Into her desert.
Honors and Awards
I had the honor to attend the Looking Glass Rock Writers’ Conference in Brevard, NC and work with nationally acclaimed writers.
- 2025- Nonfiction Workshop with Elizabeth Rush
- 2022- Nonfiction Workshop with Alison Hawthorne Deming
- 2019- Nonfiction Workshop with Robin Wall Kimmerer
- 2018- Poetry Workshop with Marilyn Kallet
- 2017- Poetry Workshop with Robert Morgan
My poem, “No More Silence,” was a third place winner in the 2025 Dancing Poetry Contest. On August 19, 2025, I will read my poem via Zoom. Eventually, the readings of several poets will be on YouTube.
My poem, “Haven Among Trees,” was a third place winner for the 2022 Proverse Hong Kong International Poetry Prize. My poem was included in their anthology, Mingled Voices #7.
My poem, “Harmonious Healer,” was a third place winner in the 2021 Dancing Poetry Contest.
My poem, “Cast Iron Mother,” about the resiliency of singles mothers was deemed highly commendable by the judges for the 2020 Proverse Hong Kong International Poetry Prize and was included in their anthology, Mingled Voices #5.
On October 23, 2020, a recording of me reading two of my poems: “Dancing Leaves” and “Rhythmic Journey” from my poetry chapbook, Gifts of the Seasons, Autumn and Winter, aired on the radio program “Monsoon Down the Radio” with Tim, the Tater, Staley on the Las Cruces, NM Community Radio Station KTAL-LP.
My poem, “Altered Silhouette,” was featured with Nancy Smith’s painting, “Twilight Reflection,” at the Women Speak Project’s Exhibition at the Frank Gallery in Chapel Hill, NC, March 8-11, 2019. As a survivor of breast cancer, I was deeply honored to have my poem included in the Women Speak Project’s book, Women Speak: Portraits, Poetry, Prose of the Feminine Experience, which is an art and literary collaboration between the artist, Nancy Smith, and select women writers. The book contains 27 full color pages of mixed media paintings and writings inspired by the feminine experience https://nsfr-store.square.site/product/book-women-speak-portraits-poetry-and-prose/66
On January 15, 2019, I presented “Follow Your Passion and My Writing Journey to the Beta Omicron Chapter of the NC Alpha Delta Kappa organization. As a former teacher, I was honored to speak to this group of outstanding educators.
A collaborative project with plein air artist, Jenny McKinnon Wright’s painting, “Hunting,” and my poem, “Solitary Hunters,” was invited for the Lost in Words: A Juried Exhibit of Art and Poetry at the Northwind Art Center in Port Townsend, Washington for June 17, 2021 – July 25, 2021.
Two pieces of hint fiction: “Coastal Coutre” and “Cliff Hanger” were selected for the Best of the Year (2023 and 2020, respectively) by Nicole Monaghan, editor of Nailpolish Stories, A Tiny and Colorful Literary Magazine.
Suzanne's Words 