Some people flow in and out of our lives like water - rushing through like a stream, surrounding us like a peaceful lake then maybe travelling on to the sea. Some people are more like rocks: sturdy, stable, reliable - always there. Everyone we meet informs our sensibilities of the larger world around us, not allowing us to become so absorbed that we forget ourselves in this mad-dash through life. This collection of poems introduces the reader to people who voluntarily leave us as well as those we lose without their choice, much sooner than we would wish. The later poems embrace the people who endure, those who stay with us through sorrow and joy. I would like to thank all these people, for, without them, this collection would not have been possible. I am grateful to the following individuals and groups for encouraging and supporting me in my writing life: my husband, Jim; my parents, Buddy and Susan; Diane Frank and the Blue Light Press writing workshop participants; Bill Brown; Terry Lucas; Helga Kidder; Karen Slikker; Jeff Ferrell; Kristi Walker; David Austin; Connie Landreth; my creative writing students; my Open Mic group; Chattanooga Writers Guild; Knoxville Writers Guild; Colrain Poetry Manuscript Conference participants; the Lesley University community. Thank you for being my strong rocks or flowing water. You are the sources of my inspiration.

The first collection of poems by award-winning Irish-American poet KB Ballentine. Gathering Stones describes the author's search for her ancestral background. First inspired by a fascination with Irish folklore, the poet began to explore and write about the more unsettled periods of Irish history - the occupations, the struggles for freedom, the Great Famine and the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It is when she visits Ireland that she experiences the beauty of the land and the friendliness of people who love nothing better than the return of a distant family member. Gathering Stones captures the haunting journey of self-discovery made by the poet to her ancestral home.