Meet Sylvia Ramsey
Sylvia La Von Parsons-Ramsey teaches Public Speaking at the
Georgia Military Community College in Augusta, GA. She is an
assistant professor of Speech Communication and coordinator of
the electronic research library on campus. She says that she
believes that this battle with cancer added purpose to her life and
set her on a special mission. Like Erma Bombeck, she hopes that
when asked to give an accounting of her life and is asked what she
has left, she will be able to say, “My pockets are empty, my dreams
fulfilled, all the unused talent given to me at birth has been used,
and all the unsaid compliments and bits of love have been spread
around. I have spent all that was given to me and I am as naked as
the day I was born.”
Writing has always been a passion of Sylvia's. She began writing
news and feature articles for a small town newspaper in
Southeast Missouri at the age of nine. Because of the nurturing
and encouragement by the news editor, she developed a love and a
need to write.
By the time she was working on her graduate degree, several of
her poems, short stories and feature articles had been published.
Since that time over one hundred of her short stories and poems
have found their way into literary magazines. She has been a
featured poet in several literary journals over the years. Later her
writing extended into the realm of research in the field of Human
Communication and her work has been published in journals such
as The Arkansas Speech Association Journal, and The Speech
Teachers Association of Missouri Journal.
Poetry has always been a very special and personal experience for
Sylvia whether she is writing her own or reading works of another
poet. She feels that writing poetry over the years has provided her
with insight and understanding of how to navigate the many peaks
and valleys that are traveled along life's pathway.
Growing up in a rural area of Missouri and being the child of a
father born in 1898, she feels that her interpretation of life spans
several generations. This influence can be recognized in both her
poetry and her short stories. She has experienced life at many
levels.
One of her most prized possessions is a personal letter that was
written to her by Rosemary A. Thurber giving her permission to
adapt her father's short story "The Last Clock" to be used for
Readers Theatre.
Sylvia has been a wife for forty-six years, she is the mother of two
sons and is the grandmother of six grandchildren plus one great-
grandson. She taught in public schools and in colleges for over
eighteen years. She is a survivor of bladder cancer and looks at
the experience as another learning peak in life. She is presently an
instructor and in charge of the electronic library at GMC
Community College in Martinez, GA. She describes herself as a
determined scrapper who will wrench all the very best from life
that she capable of conquering. Her philosophy of life is reflected
in her poems, "Armor For Survival" and "A Tired Vagabond."
Georgia Military Community College in Augusta, GA. She is an
assistant professor of Speech Communication and coordinator of
the electronic research library on campus. She says that she
believes that this battle with cancer added purpose to her life and
set her on a special mission. Like Erma Bombeck, she hopes that
when asked to give an accounting of her life and is asked what she
has left, she will be able to say, “My pockets are empty, my dreams
fulfilled, all the unused talent given to me at birth has been used,
and all the unsaid compliments and bits of love have been spread
around. I have spent all that was given to me and I am as naked as
the day I was born.”
Writing has always been a passion of Sylvia's. She began writing
news and feature articles for a small town newspaper in
Southeast Missouri at the age of nine. Because of the nurturing
and encouragement by the news editor, she developed a love and a
need to write.
By the time she was working on her graduate degree, several of
her poems, short stories and feature articles had been published.
Since that time over one hundred of her short stories and poems
have found their way into literary magazines. She has been a
featured poet in several literary journals over the years. Later her
writing extended into the realm of research in the field of Human
Communication and her work has been published in journals such
as The Arkansas Speech Association Journal, and The Speech
Teachers Association of Missouri Journal.
Poetry has always been a very special and personal experience for
Sylvia whether she is writing her own or reading works of another
poet. She feels that writing poetry over the years has provided her
with insight and understanding of how to navigate the many peaks
and valleys that are traveled along life's pathway.
Growing up in a rural area of Missouri and being the child of a
father born in 1898, she feels that her interpretation of life spans
several generations. This influence can be recognized in both her
poetry and her short stories. She has experienced life at many
levels.
One of her most prized possessions is a personal letter that was
written to her by Rosemary A. Thurber giving her permission to
adapt her father's short story "The Last Clock" to be used for
Readers Theatre.
Sylvia has been a wife for forty-six years, she is the mother of two
sons and is the grandmother of six grandchildren plus one great-
grandson. She taught in public schools and in colleges for over
eighteen years. She is a survivor of bladder cancer and looks at
the experience as another learning peak in life. She is presently an
instructor and in charge of the electronic library at GMC
Community College in Martinez, GA. She describes herself as a
determined scrapper who will wrench all the very best from life
that she capable of conquering. Her philosophy of life is reflected
in her poems, "Armor For Survival" and "A Tired Vagabond."
| Armor For Survival Let me love though love may go unrequited, An empty heart is much heavier than a stone. Let me have faith though faith be often blighted. Without it we are not strong enough to walk alone. Let me laugh even if it is bitter laughter Mocking my own carefully kept secret sorrow. Love, faith and laughter... Armed with these three gifts, I need not fear tomorrow, nor, tomorrow. Sylvia L. Ramsey Copyright 2004 |
| My Mantra This is one of the poems in the book, Pulse Points of a Woman's World, I wrote the poem below to remind myself of what was important. It hangs above my computer where I work and any time I worry about what tomorrow may bring or the fears I have today, I read it and reflect on my blessings. |
| Want to know more? Click on Words below: |
| All the content contained herein is copyrighted pursuant to federal law. Duplication or use without the express written permission of sylvialramsey.com subjects the violator to both civil & criminal penalties. Copyright © 2004 sylvialramsey.com. All rights reserved. |
| Presentation Topics "Bladder Cancer: What Everyone Should Know" "Bladder Cancer: A Survivor's Journey" "Caregiving" "Poetry Reading: Sharing My Journey" Bladder Cancer Deadlier Than Cervical Cancer, Why? "Using Poetry to Survive a Crisis" "Oral Interpretation of Literature: A Vehicle for Literature Appreciation" "Reader's Theatre: An Art Form For All to Enjoy" |
Who is Sylvia?
| Click on the picture of book cover above and access the audio file. You will hear me reading three poems from the section "Pulse Points of Love" found in the book Pulse Points of a Woman's World. The poems are: "You" "Request of Love" "A Rose for You" |
Armor For Survival Poem
Click on title above to get
a copy of the poem.
Click on title above to get
a copy of the poem.
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