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Carolina Writers Speak
Carolina Writers Speak
Dale Austin, Poet, Author, Storyteller
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Dale Austin launched his new book Putting Salt on a Bird's Tail. This beautiful nostalgic collection of poetry is sure to resonate with everyone who gets a chance to experience it.
To be a wordsmith is defined as a person who writes, an author, a journalist, a person who commits their thoughts to paper. But I believe it is so much more. The ability to craft a story, to change lives, to transport the ordinary life to an extraordinary place. To put words on paper and awaken the imagination in ways that the reader never dreamed possible. Yes, to have the ability to see what isn't there and make you see it too. To awaken the senses in new and amazing ways, like feeling a cool breeze on a hot summer day on your cheek. To smell wildflowers as they bloom, to taste the delicacy on foreign soil, to feel like you've never felt before, touching places long forgotten, connecting your soul in new ways. That's what writers do. It's my pleasure to host Carolina Writers Speak, a new podcast, a chance to hear actual writers' voices, hear what inspires them. Experience their trials and their struggles and realize that we all have a story and it's worth telling. We have a new author online today that you can get to meet. His name is Dale Austin, and Dale has written a beautiful book of poetry, and it's called Putting Salt on a Bird's Tale. Now, Dale, welcome to the show. And for the folks out there who are young, tell them what's putting salt on a bird's tail, where it came from.
SPEAKER_00Thank you, Rosa. I appreciate you giving me this time to talk with me. Um salt on the bird's tail is is I guess it's an old wives' tail thing that when I was young, um, and it's in one of my poems, that um mother and uh used to tell me, and she told uh all of us kids I had, uh there was six of us, and she said, uh, you know, if you sprinkle salt on a bird's tail, you can catch a bird. So I guess that was designed to keep us busy so that we would stay out of her hair, while as hard as she worked, uh it kept her, gave her some time to herself. And so we, of course, would uh would go out and try it. We got us a book, I mean a a uh salt shaker, and we'd go out and we would see birds out in the trees, and we would put salt in her hands and throw it at them, and of course they would fly away. Never did work, uh, but uh we had fun trying it, I guess. And uh I don't know why we wanted to catch a bird in the first place, what we would do with it if we caught it, but that's where it came from, I guess, sort of an old wise tale about putting salt on a bird's tail, and you could catch the bird.
SPEAKER_01Well, I know my mom and my grandmama told me the same thing, so I I had heard of it, but um Rodney, my husband, had never heard of that phrase, so I thought, well, maybe we better tell people where it comes from to so they can get started off on the right track. Now, your your collection of poetry, we called it Quiet Wisdom, and I love that. So, can you tell us a little bit about your collection and and what inspired you to write these different things?
SPEAKER_00Well, Rose, I'm not a a wise man myself, but I know a lot of people that were. And uh my mother and uh and I guess my grandmother and uncles, uh uh they had a lot of wisdom. Uh, and uh so there was a lot of things that that they would tell us that we would uh uh and some of it was just wives' tales and things like that, but there's a lot of truth to wives' tales, somehow or another, some of them uh you know make a lot of sense. But um I I think that the whole collection of books comes from growing up and uh living the life of uh of brothers and sisters, family life, uh living in a small town, and and just the collection of people that you meet along the way, and that's how it just sort of things come to my mind that I write about is um and that like you said, it's some quiet wisdom. Quiet comes from other people telling us uh things, and we hold it in our hearts. So that's what I've done is hold it in my heart, and now I put it on pen and paper.
SPEAKER_01Your collection of poetry really moved me when I read it. I think it's incredibly beautiful, and the memories and and the things that it takes you back to are are priceless. So I I enjoyed reading your book so much because it did allow me to go to that other time and place and remember.
SPEAKER_00Well, and that was sort of what I was hoping for, Rose, that if I if these things were dear to my heart, I'm sure I'm not the only way that had memories in their hearts like this, and and uh I'm not any different than anybody else, really. So most everything that I write about is things that maybe uh uh the words are different or the names are different, but they uh hold memories in other people's hearts and minds too.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Now, another favorite of mine is Johnny Cake. So tell us a little bit about Johnny Cakes.
SPEAKER_00I don't even know where that came from, Rose, other than the fact that uh Johnny Cakes was something that uh uh for some reason it just sort of uh flowed and it came into mind. But um it it's uh it's about uh a little boy and his mother is out at the in a playground, and um and she is not interested in what's going on with the little boy, she's interested in something else or someone else. And um the little boy uh getting a little bored and and just wanting somebody to talk to and spend a little attention to him, uh and that was sort of like I put myself in that position of uh talking to the little boy and spending time with him, making him feel comfortable, because you know, uh kids when they're left alone are kind of scared, and I wanted to feel comfortable. And so in my story, um the the lady finally uh tries to rush the kid to go and yelling at him, and he's a little bit scared, and he don't go because he's playing a little game with her, you know, and finally she just leaves him. So I end up with the kid and taking care of Johnny, and then she comes back and to tell the rest of the story. You know, I guess they'll read it in the book, but it's uh she comes back and takes him away, and um then there's a a little bit of a twist to the end of the story there, but uh uh but it's just something that just uh I made up along the way, but I enjoyed writing and and after reading it myself, it touched my heart, you know, it'll bring almost a little tear to you because you can almost see the realization of those things happening.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Now, how did you come to begin writing poetry?
SPEAKER_00Well, um I've always liked words that rhyme and songs, and you know, songs sort of have a uh they uh they most of them have uh meaning to them also, and and they so the words that rhyme and the and the songs uh they tell a story. Uh but I've always admired my uncle, uh Uncle Sam, he was poet laureate uh under Pat McCrory, and uh I'm not Pat McCrory, but uh Jim Hunt. And um he wrote several poetry books and he also owned a newspaper down in in uh Southern Pines. But I just have admired him. Uh he was my mother's brother, uh, and um uh uh I just thought, you know, I'd love to be able to do that one day myself.
SPEAKER_01And that would be more far from the tree.
SPEAKER_00That's right, I guess not. But I I hope my my poetry uh is um uh worthy of something that he may would want me to do.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely, absolutely. So this collection, do you know how many poems are in your book?
SPEAKER_00Oh I think Rose somewhere around 100 or 120, somewhere close to that.
SPEAKER_01That's that's kind of what I was thinking too when I was reading them. Um, it's a great collection of poems, and this book will be out in bookstores early June.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yes, I'm I'm excited about that. Uh it it's been a long time coming as far as my dream. And uh, you know, my dream didn't just start two days ago or a month ago. This is something that I've dreamed of for a long time, and so I'm really excited about it coming out and being and seeing it actually in bookstores.
SPEAKER_01I know. I I always think it's magic, and one of the reasons I fell in love with writing, I used to write for newspapers, was it was so much fun to put it into my computer and the next day be able to hold it in my hand.
SPEAKER_00Well, me too, Rose, but you know what? I'm a firm believer that you are the magic that made it happen.
SPEAKER_01Well, thank you for that, but not hardly. I I told you I can't write poetry, I have no magic there, but uh hopefully I can do you some good on the back end.
SPEAKER_00Well, you've you've already inspired me quite a lot.
SPEAKER_01Well, I'm looking forward to your next book. So, but before we talk about that, can you tell people some advice for um continuing on and pursuing their dream and making it happen?
SPEAKER_00Well, you know what? I I was just reading over some of my my poems, and there was one that I wrote um, I think it was called Think You Can. If you think you can or you think you can't, you're right. But you most of all, you got to think you can and believe it yourself, and then you can make it happen. But uh, and if you have this in your heart, just sit down and write it down. And and if it flows for you, you know it's your destiny and where you need to go with it. And that's sort of what I did. I just started uh uh writing them down, typing them down, and uh, and um I I just believe that it could it could actually come true one day.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. And you know, one thing that that I admired about you and that struck me when we talked is that you're enjoying writing for the journey of the writing. And you gotta love that part because you know nobody knows where it'll go, but you gotta enjoy it while it's happening.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, even if I had done it just for my own self, it was um it was inspiring to me just to be able to know that I wrote them and uh and I'm thinking, I don't know where these words come other than other than the good Lord put them in my heart, because I don't when I read them back to me, sometimes I'm thinking, I didn't realize I was that smart, and I'm not. The words came to me from somewhere else, I believe.
SPEAKER_01Oh, I understand. When I was writing my first book, I put it down for a while, and when I picked it up and read it again, I couldn't hardly believe that I had actually written that, you know, because it was pretty good. So it's a it's it's a very fulfilling journey in a many, many ways.
SPEAKER_00Oh yes. Well, you know, and not only that uh just some good poetry and about memories, but there's some silly things in there that I've written too. And you know, uh, because life is not all about being serious and and uh it's not all about looking back every time. And sometimes just silly things in your life uh inspire you to write too.
SPEAKER_01Absolutely. Well, I think one thing that the readers will enjoy about this book is that there's a little of something for everybody in it. You know, there's a big variety of of topics and things, and like you say, some for just pure amusement.
SPEAKER_00Yes. Uh and that's sort of the way I look at it too. It's just, you know, uh I I get a chuckle out of some of them I wrote and some uh some that uh some, you know, I've read some of them and uh it makes me even tear up a little bit, you know, because uh it brings back some memories or it it just touches your heart because some people that you write about is just so special in your life.
SPEAKER_01That's very true. And a lot of them are gone. And so that you know, that adds a lot to it as well. So tell folks how they can follow you on social media and do you have a website?
SPEAKER_00Well, I I have set up a website, but it has not completed yet. Um and the the website that I was able to obtain as far as the domain was saltbirdtail.com. And um so I I hope to have something active on that soon. Uh, but right now I'm on uh Facebook and um you can look me up as um Dale Austin on Facebook and uh and read about some of the things that I've got going on and and um and things that uh even that you have going on have tied in with with you, and I see so many exciting things that you are involved with and that you're doing. Um and uh so if they want to tie in and look at that um on my Facebook or um they can uh uh even send me an email if it they would like, and uh I would like to um uh talk with anybody any way I can. And that of course is simply daustin5223 at gmail.com.
SPEAKER_01Right, right. Well, I'm sure that that the website and the social media sites will all grow as your work continues on, and folks will be able to find you very, very easily. And they certainly can find you at Cushing Publishing because I'm very proud to be publishing your book.
SPEAKER_00Oh, yeah, it makes me proud to be associated with Cushing Publishing. Thank you.
SPEAKER_01I really appreciate that. Thank you. So if you're out there listening, Dale Austin on Facebook and Salt on a Saltbird Tale.
SPEAKER_00Saltbirdtail.com.
SPEAKER_01Saltbirdtail.com. And that you know, that's a very interesting name. So that and that's the name of the book, is Salt on a Bird's Tale. So, you know, folks, be sure and and commit that to your memory and look Dale up and in mid-June. It'll be a great Father's Day present, perhaps, for people or graduates, but look it up and and buy your copy.
SPEAKER_00Well, I hope to do. Um, you know, and I hope they enjoy it as much as I enjoyed writing it.
SPEAKER_01I'm sure people will. And thank you so much for being on the show today. I know you've got an appointment to get to, but I wanted to take a chance to to touch on this so I could get people used to knowing your book's coming because they're gonna look forward to it and enjoy it.
SPEAKER_00It's always a joy talking to you, Rose, and uh I appreciate you giving me this time in your podcast. And again, um I hope they enjoy my writing. And also, to uh you mentioned it earlier, we've got another one coming that I've been working on, and hopefully um I'll have that probably in the next 90 to uh days to six months, something along in that nature.
SPEAKER_01So uh and that's a collection of short stories.
SPEAKER_00Uh no, this is gonna be more poems.
SPEAKER_01Oh, okay, all right. And I know you got a short story book somewhere. Yeah, it's in you. I'm gonna drag it out.
SPEAKER_00There you go.
SPEAKER_01All righty. Well, thanks for being on the show, and we'll look forward to the second book as well, and we'll do a new podcast when that one's ready.
SPEAKER_00Okay, thank you, Rose.
SPEAKER_01And for you folks out there listening, as always, thanks so much for listening. And remember to look for Dale Austin Salt on a Bird's Tail. Thanks. Everybody has a story, just let your mind drift away and find yours. I know it's out there. What are you waiting for?