Laurel Johnson is a retired Registered Nurse who believes that love, compassion, and the natural wonders around us enrich her existence. Her lifelong love affair with poetry and prose took a natural progression after retirement when she began to write in earnest. Her published books include The Grass Dance, a book of poetry and prose; The Alley of Wishes, which she insists is a fictional allegory; and Color of Laughter, Color of Tears, a full length book featuring her poems and Stephen Sulik's. Her latest book, My Name is Esther Clara, is scheduled for release by Dandelion Books in January 2006. 
     Laurel enjoys reviewing novels and poetry. She currently reviews for New Works Review; Midwest Book Review; Shadow Poetry's Quill Quarterly Review; Irish News and Entertainment; and The Wandering Hermit Review.  She has written commentaries on Books and Writing for Dandelion Books and MyShelf.com, and a dissertation on coping with grief and loss for The Bright Side.  Her poetry can be found online at The Time Garden, The HyperTexts, and Quill and Parchment. She's somewhat of a ham so relishes her occasional stints as featured speaker at writing seminars.       Laurel and her husband currently live in Fairbury NE, but still consider Kerby Knob KY home because she loves the Appalachians and the plains in equal measure.