Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia
Patricia Neely-Dorsey
ISBN: 9780979629426
GrantHouse Publishers
Reviewed By Wendy Paulson
Official Apex Reviews Rating: 
"Diamonds are nice,
And so are pearls;
But, there's nothing on earth,
Like a Mississippi girl."
This
quote, which actually closes Patricia Neely-Dorsey's debut collection
of poetry, sums it – and her – up best. Featured throughout the pages
of Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia
are numerous poetic pieces addressing the colorful scope of Southern
living, but all in a captivating, sentimental tone sure to evoke the
same nostalgic wistfulness in the reader, perhaps no better than in
this passage from the collection's very first piece, "Southern Life":
"There's ice cold tea that's syrupy sweet,
And cool green grass beneath your feet;
Catfish nipping in the lake,
And fresh young boys on the make.
You'll see all these things
And much, much more,
In a way of life that I adore."
Neely-Dorsey also muses on the incomparable beauty of Southern nature in this passage from "Mississippi Morning":
"There is a sense of wonderment
At how all things look so new;
The flowers glow with freshness,
From the past night's dew.
The beauty all around you,
Would take away your breath;
You'd feel you'd like to soak it in
Until there's nothing left."
And in this passage from "Summer Night":
"Everything is warm and still
A sense of calm that one can feel
The moon shines bright over yonder hill
Can all this loveliness be real?"
Reflections
extends its reminiscent strains to such expanded realms as Southern
education in "One Room School" and the political process in "Right to
Vote," but its most salient power is drawn ostensibly in the personal
affirmations made by Neely-Dorsey herself. Consider, for example, this
passage from "Inside Me":
"A sophisticated lady of the day,
And a sultry lady of the evening,
There's a church goer and a party thrower,
There's somebody's mother, daughter, sister,
Wife, lover and friend;
There's all of that
Inside me.
Can you see it?"
And this passage from "Happy (With The Nappy):
"Sometimes, the comb gets stuck.
But, when my man runs his fingers
Through my hair,
It feels like silk.
So………….
I'm happy with the nappy."
And, most obviously, in this passage from "Mississippi Magnolia":
"It's who I am,
It's what I like,
It's everything to me;
A Mississippi Magnolia girl
Is all I'll ever be."
In Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia,
Patricia Neely-Dorsey does a commendable job of showing the reader the
true face of the incomparable South – new and old – and, in so doing,
makes it quite enticing to take an actual trip there one day to see
more for oneself. A moving and inspiring collection.
Official Apex Reviews Interview: Patricia Neely-Dorsey (Reflections Of A Mississippi Magnolia)
Apex Reviews: Thanks for joining us for this interview, Patricia. We're looking forward to learning more about your book.
Anyone who reads this collection will know that the South will always have a special place in your heart. What, to you, is the most memorable aspect of Southern living?
Patricia Neely-Dorsey: I have to answer that question with the top three, in my opinion, because, out of the things I thought of, I couldn't just choose one: the food, the landscape, and the relationships - of course, not necessarily in that order. There is NOTHING like Southern cooking! The scenery could take your breath away (as I say in one of my poems), and the ties that bind in Southern families and friendships are beyond compare.
AR: The pieces in the book range from the humorous ("Happy (With The Nappy)") to the socially conscious ("Right to Vote"). Where do you get your inspiration from? Has writing poetry always been a passion of yours, or was it something you picked up later in life?
PND: That's easy: my book/my writing is simply, as is suggested in the title, my life in poems. There is a little saying (and a kind of joke) that there are so many good Southern writers because we NEVER have to make anything up (LOL)! Every Southerner could probably write volumes on just one or two family members alone (LOL).
I have always loved poetry, ever since I was very young. I have a poem in the book about that, too, which says that my Daddy helped me to love poetry. He liked that kind of thing. On Sunday mornings, we'd recite "When Malindy Sings." From the time I was very young, my Dad would recite poetry to me, and we would often recite our favorites together as I sat near the sink while he was shaving. The writing part definitely came very much later in my life. I actually wrote my very first poem a little over a year ago, at age of 43, on February 14, 2007. I just woke up out of my sleep early that morning with the words of a poem forcefully dancing around in my head. I quickly got up and scribbled it down, and the rest is history. My book was published one year later, in February 2008.
AR: What poets have inspired you over the course of your life?
PND: My earliest inspiration was Paul Laurence Dunbar, an African American poet of the early 1900's. My father would recite his poem "When Malindy Sings" all the time, and I fell in love with poetry. Other than that, I absolutely love Nikki Giovanni and Maya Angelou.
AR: What kinds of reactions have readers - particularly those in the South - had to the book?
PND: I have had overwhelmingly positive responses and reviews of the book.Everyone - especially Southerners - absolutely loves the book. We all have this common thread among us, and they all feel I'm telling so much of their own story in my book. All of us here in the South have had very similar life experiences, especially those of us who grew up in rural areas – "the country," as we call it.
AR: We noticed that you're currently working on your second book of poetry. Can you share more about it with our readers?
PND: I actually have the material for two books completed. I had planned to release a book of mostly very sensual love poems, which was to be called The Secret Garden of Love - In Poems, but I think the next one will probably have more Southern poems because everyone seems to be clamoring for that. Actually, my publisher wants me to do a children's book with some of the selections from Reflections. We've been kicking that idea around.
AR: Please share more with our readers about your publisher, GrantHouse Publishers.
PND: GrantHouse Publishers is based in Jonesboro, Arkansas, and is owned and operated by George and Deborah Grant. They specialize in books by and about African Americans. As a first time author, it has been a wonderful experience working with Mr. Grant. He has patiently and carefully helped me to navigate through the complex and potentially turbulent waters of the publishing process. You can find learn more about them at www.granthousepublishers.com.
AR: What are your future writing/publishing plans?
PND: I write poems just as they come to me, and I have hundreds of them. As for future publications, that is on the back burner for now. I want to give this first book it's proper exposure and chance to shine in the literary world.
AR: Do you have a website where people can learn more about you?
PND: www.patricianeelydorsey.webs.com.
AR: Also, how can they contact you directly?
PND: magnoliagirl21@yahoo.com.
AR: Any final thoughts you'd like to share with our readers?
PND: There are so many negative connotations associated with Mississippi and the South in general, and I want to show a flip side of the coin. There is MUCH to love about the Southern way of life!
AR: Thanks again, Patricia, and best of continued success to you in all your endeavors!