Never Too Late: 80-Year-Old Great-Great-Grandmother Phyllis Publishes Her First Book
For any writer who’s been working for years and has volumes of material stored on paper and in digital files, this article is your call to action. Read more about her inspirational writing journey.
Newly published poet Phyllis Leona Fisher just celebrated her 80th birthday. Even though she’s been working on her writing for decades, she’s just published her first book of poetry, “The Final Act.” Read and enjoy her story of elderly poet success.
Phyllis was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and was the third oldest of sixteen children. She raised five natural children and two she adopted. Below is a picture of Phyllis as a young mom with her children.
Today, she’s a great-great-grandmother author, wife, and primary caregiver of her 101-year-old mother, but that hasn’t stopped her. Many of the poems she’s published in her new book "The Final Act" were written while raising her children, all of whom are now grandparents themselves. She lives a life of writing and caregiving. I recently interviewed her, and this is her inspiring story.
Phyllis, what role has writing had in your life?
Writing has been a comfort, a way to express myself, and an outlet. It has helped me take my mind off my stresses in life and enter another dimension. With writing, I find that I can be in another world.
Who was the first person in your life who noticed your writing gift?
My fifth-grade teacher was a male, and I can’t remember his name. After he gave us a writing assignment, he singled my story out to be read in class and told me that I would be a writer. In fact, he said I wrote better than I could speak. I was shy and introverted and had little confidence in myself.
You come from a large family; how did you find time to indulge your creativity growing up?
When it was bedtime, I would make up stories for my younger siblings. I didn’t write anything down, but I'd create stories in the moment to entertain them.
How have you managed to stay encouraged throughout your lifelong writing journey?
Sometimes, it’s not easy, but I tell myself I can’t give up. I push myself by looking at other writers and saying if they can do it, I can. Now, in my busy life, caring for my mother, when I need an escape, I go to my computer whenever I can.
You’ve had a life full of many seasons of grief and loss. How have you been able to stay true to your writing?
Really being true to myself and opening up about what I’ve been through. Facing my highs and lows and the mistakes I’ve made along the way. I’ve needed to be honest with myself. Sometimes, I’ve used fiction to tell some of the real-life circumstances I’ve gone through.
When you were a mother raising five children were you able to find time to write is so how?
Yes, most of the poems in The Final Act were written when my children were small. This was a difficult time in my life, as my children and I are domestic abuse survivors. Writing was one of my survival mechanisms, along with painting.
What still inspires you to write?
Things I’ve learned as I’ve gone through my life. I’m amazed at how I can take my life’s experiences to create and express them in poetry. For Instance, currently, I’m caring for my mother with dementia, and I’m using this experience to feed my creativity.
What are you passionate about in this season?
Getting as much done as I can in the time I have. I want to redeem the time I feel like I’ve wasted. I don’t feel like I used my time as well as I could’ve in my younger years, but I’m trying to recapture that. I’m still in a learning season in my life, I’m still getting used to this computer, and I’m trying to use these skills to continue to see my work through.
What message do you want to give to other older, wizened women who have a desire to write?
Just start even if with just one word. Just do it. Believe you can do it. You’ll never know what it can turn into. I didn’t always believe in myself, but I’ve learned that the things I’ve experienced in life can be lessons for others. What you have to share can teach yourself and teach others. You can leave a legacy through writing. I’ve come to realize everyone in life struggles, and we can’t let our struggles stop us.
Today Phyllis is committed to creative expression in her senior years. She's preparing her next collection of poems for “The Final Act Volume 2”. She’s also working on a memoir and a novel based on her life story. Stay tuned!!