Submitted article
Former Galionite Kimberlyn Blum-Hyclak, author of her first full-length collection of poetry, In the Garden of Life and Death – A Mother and Daughter Walk follows the poet through battles with the cancer of her daughter and mother with grace and gratitude.
Kim grew up on West Summit Street where her neighbors Ben and Eula Stone introduced her to the beauty of a garden, and on Hollywood Drive where she wrote her first poem.
She attended St. Joseph’s Parochial School, graduated from Galion High School with the Class of ’76 and was in the first class to study and graduate with a degree in Mental Health Technology (now Human Services) from North Central Technical College (now North Central State). While in Galion, she was the Director of Friends of Crawford County and her writing included articles in The Galion Inquirer.
Kim draws on all these experiences in her writing. Her poetry and prose have been published in moonShine review, Kakalak, Iodine, and others, with her collection of poems published by Main Street Rag Publishing.
Kim now lives in Lancaster, SC, a small town in the South, with her husband and still tries to grow a garden like Ben and Eula Stone’s.
The Galion Historical Society is honored to present a book reading and signing with Kim at The Historic Grace Church on Saturday, May 16 at 1:00pm. Brownella Cottage will be open for tours following the event with light refreshments in Fellowship Hall. Registration is not required for this event, for more information, please call the office at (419) 468-9338.