Barbara Segal releases second poetry collection, “Shelter”

After working as a visual artist for many years, Barbara Segal tried her hand at writing poetry. Now, years later, Segal self-published her second poetry collection, “Shelter.”

Segal, who has lived in Sea Cliff for over 30 years, said the collection draws inspiration from both the North Shore landscape and her travel experiences.

Segal said she began writing poetry with the haiku, a three-line Japanese poetry format. She said the form was, perhaps, inspired by the brief time she lived in Japan when her father—a member of the Army Medical Corps—was stationed there during her childhood.

She said on a clear day, she could see Mt. Fuji from her backyard garden, which grew Japanese irises and strawberries.

The haiku format tends to be “nature-based,” Segal said. She said haikus typically examine “emotions through landscape.”

Segal said when she first started writing haikus, she often wrote them in her head, inspired by the walks she took around her neighborhood, and tried to remember the wording by the time she returned home.

From there, Segal said she expanded into other formats of poetry. About 15 years ago, she said she joined a women’s poetry group that met monthly to provide members with prompts for new poems. This, she said, was like her “poetry school.”

“I learned so much,” Segal said.

However, Segal was creative even before she started writing poetry. Before she started writing, Segal worked as a visual artist, using different mediums, like clay, watercolors, acrylic, and mixed media. In fact, she said the “Shelter” cover art is one of her own pieces.

Creativity must surround Segal, because she said her husband, Michael Sears, is a published author, who writes thriller novel.

Segal said she began writing “Shelter” in the fall of 2019 and finished the collection in the spring of 2021. She said she was inspired by the word itself: shelter.

“We all need shelter,” she said. “Shelter is one of the basic needs that humans have.”

Segal said she started writing the collection before the COVID-19 pandemic, but once the lockdown began, the idea of shelter became even more timely.

“The idea of shelter became a lens I was looking through at the time,” she said.

The book, she said, encompasses images of nature and “musings about being human.”

Segal celebrated her book’s release with a reception at the Sea Cliff Arts Council on Sunday, March 16.

“The room was packed, which was a lovely surprise,” she said. “It was a really pleasant, warm experience.”

Segal said she is “very gratified” that her second collection has been released with such a great reception.

Segal’s first novel, “The Secret Road: Walking with Persephone,” was traditionally published by Finishing Line Press. She said “Shelter” was self-published with Words with Wings Press.

Segal said poetry is a “rewarding practice” and encourages anyone to try it.

“Everybody has the ability to be creative in different ways,” she said.

Segal said she is a member of Sea Cliff Poets, which meets monthly at the Sea Cliff Arts Council. For more information, visit seacliffartscouncil.org.