Songs from Fern’s Pond
Preorder Coming Soon
Product Details
Publisher: GFB
Release Date: April 22, 2025
Formats: Hardcover, Paperback, Ebook
ISBN: HC: 978-1-964721-39-2; PB: 978-1-959411-15-4; EB: 978-1-964721-40-8
Trim: 5.5 x 8.5
Page Count: 166
Composing a Life with Courage, Gratitude, and Joy
Sheryl Pothier Harmer
Reminiscent of Mary Oliver’s A Thousand Mornings and Amanda Thomson’s Belonging, this evocative blend of poetry, prose, and personal letters unfurls a story of an untamed, beautiful place—and one woman’s choice to spend the last chapter of her life making it her home.
At age sixty-two, Fern started a new life.
Recently widowed, she found a piece of neglected acreage above the Snake River on which to build a home, forge a community—and find renewed purpose. On the land around Fern’s Pond, she nurtured a vineyard, an abundant garden, and a small farm of sheep, a cow, and chickens. She befriended wild ducks and harvested trout in her waters, and she used the materials that grew around the pond and springs to weave baskets—unique works of art that captured the elegance of the natural world.
Songs from Fern’s Pond is a collage of poetry, letters, and prose that captures the universal resilience of the human spirit through the humor and courage of a woman who fearlessly pursued the life she dreamed of. A duet of text between mother and daughter, it’s a transcendent vision of the rough, wild, and beautiful landscape of the heart—and a reminder that every chapter is worth living to its fullest.
About the Author
Sheryl Pothier Harmer grew up in southern Idaho, the proud great-granddaughter of pioneers in the Sun Valley / Ketchum area. She holds a doctorate in education with a focus on social and emotional learning (SEL). Her career in education ranged from the classroom to the principal’s office, culminating in the award of National Distinguished Principal from Washington State in 1998. She went on to serve as director of program development for a non-profit, creating internationally recognized SEL curriculums for schools; worked as an educational consultant; and was a cofounder of the edtech Aperture Education. Sheryl now lives and writes in Seattle, surrounded by her family and nature.
Reviews
“A beautifully impressionistic weaving of anecdotes, poetry, and personal letters and an ode to the seasons of a year, of a life, and of a lineage.” —Alexandra A. Chan, author of In the Garden Behind the Moon