Spasms are my “word snaps” . . . everyday glimpses of my life or the lives of those I love.

They are urgent outbursts . . . either catching the moment or releasing something that has been haunting me for years, like stories from my own personal history or family of origin . . . and then, suddenly, they snap into place.

Some spasms rhyme and some don’t. I never know when one will come or what it will be about. It’s like being on vacation and wanting to remember or share the surprises you see, so you take a snapshot . . . or, in my case, a “word snap” or spasm.

“Kathryn Scheldt has a huge heart; it doesn’t beat, it feels.”

Sena Jeter Naslund, The New York Times Bestselling Author

“Kathryn Scheldt, already a celebrated singer-songwriter and author, has now turned her talents to poetry. In a beguiling mix of whimsy, wisdom, and a gift for the language, these bursts of creativity and insight – “Spasms” – take us on an undaunted dive into the depths of the human condition. We emerge with a smile – and a surer understanding that there really is hope.”

Frye Gaillard, Writer in Residence, University of South Alabama

“Some of the shorter poems remind me of Pound and Eliot in their powerful imagery. Spasms is a potent blend of the personal and the universal, the particular and the general. Memorable poetry.”

Marie Fitzwilliam, PhD