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Nona Kelley Carver, Poet - Historian
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Nona was born in Colorado, and still lives there. During part of
her early years, she lived well beyond the electric lines in a cabin
built of logs. She learned to read by the light of a kerosene lamp
and rode horseback to school.
She married Alfred Carver in 1953. They began ranching at Mesa,
Colorado, purchasing land that had been in the Carver family for
three generations. They operated a dairy, and also raised beef cattle.
It was here that their two sons were raised.
Nona says that the "Many years of living and working with
cattle and horses, cooking for ranch hands, 'gathering cattle from
the mountain pastures gave me lots of material to write about."
Nona's ranching experience shows in her work that she refers to
as "fiction with a few facts thrown in." Her work has
been published in magazines, newspapers and anthologies, and has
spread from Australia to Amsterdam. Her major books in print are:
Cowboys, Cookstoves, and Catastrophes and Carver Country
Cowboys. They can be ordered through any bookstore in the US
and Canada.Her first CD is titled Reflective Moods, and features
her most serious work. The second, titled Carver Country Poetry
contains the funniest poetry she has written. She also publishes
CarverCards, a line of greeting cards for family and friends.
She believes that speaking her words makes the works come alive
for audiences. Nona best comes out when she is in front of the Cowboy
Gatherings.
Nona has displayed her gift for bringing words to life atschools
in both Colorado and Arizona, and has presented poetry written especially
for children. Her words are published weekly in The Plateau Valley
Times, her local newspaper, and show up often in The San
Juan Silver Stage. She received a nomination for the best female
poet in 2000 from The Academy of Western Artists.
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