As a girl in rural Texas, Ann competed in poetry recitation. After retirement, she started to write through community classes. Now she takes graduate poetry classes at the University of South Carolina and online classes through the University of Iowa, University of Pennsylvania and Hadley Institute for the Blind. She reads and writes her work using assistive technology.
Muddy Ford Press selected Ann as the second in their Laureate series and published her first book of poems—Cindi Boiter, publisher; Ed Madden, editor.
Ann-Chadwell Humphries is a poet of many eclipses – celestial, such as the unexpected ‘metallic light’ beheld with solar glasses, but also eclipses of vision as her sight was lost later in life to the ravages of a recessive gene. And though these poems beautifully document that loss and its attendant difficulties, An Eclipse is the record of a woman who see with her entire being.
Nickole Brown, author of Fanny Says and Jessica Jacobs, author of Take Me With You, Wherever You’re Going
Ann is such a beautiful soul who crafts gorgeous poems that push you to reflect and remember. Our live duet reading was a true pleasure as we connected over poetry, craft and experience.
Angelo T. Geter, Poet Laureate of Rock Hill, South Carolina
What’s Ann Up to Now?
Ann and two other writers presented at Clemson’s Conference for Women on “Poetry as Metaphor for Leadership,” which they plan to publish. Ann was recently profiled in the March issue of Columbia Metropolitan Magazine. In the past two months, she has had poems published in two literary journals and won a poetry contest in humor. Ann has been inducted into the South Carolina Humanities Speakers Bureau, Humanities Out Loud. SC Humanities will pay her honorarium. Here are a list of her topics and details on how to book.
Ann’s presentation immediately engaged and then held the audience’s attention through various methods. Even though she lost her eyesight many years ago, Ann quickly put the audience at ease with her confident, yet easy-going, speaking style. Her talk nicely combined narrative, poetry readings/recitations and audience participation.
Bruce Heimburger, Interim Director of Lee County Public Library
The speaker’s presentation reflected deep passion as well as knowledge about poetry, especially its capacity to heighten our senses and to help us productively manage loss…in fact turn it into gain. Ann-Chadwell Humphries invited audience members to actively dialogue with her and participate in the program. She said that she felt she had made many new friends during the presentation, and I believe the feeling was shared by participants. I highly recommend this program
Daniel Cross Turner, Friends of the Waccamaw Library, April 2022.
Ann has been great to work with…[h]er passion for the subject matter was evident as was her breadth of knowledge on the subject. We appreciate that she has a personal affinity for the subject matter and was willing to work with us on the focus of the presentation to tailor it for our group and our specific celebration.
South Carolina American Red Cross, March 2022.
The presentation was a concise, effective, and compelling overview of Peterkin’s work and life. A friend of the Peterkin family attended, and she thoroughly enjoyed the presentation. We consider that high praise.
Jonathan Haupt, Executive Director of the Pat Conroy Literary Center
Ann-Chadwell Humphries, Poet 