Meet Sallie Reynolds

an 85-year-old woman/writer who will inspire you as well as nurture your soul

Sallie with one of two hawks she has rescued.

I met Sallie a few years back when I was invited by our local library to join her writers' group. The first time I heard about the group, I was in the final stages of publishing my first book. The second time Sallie's name appeared on my radar, my book had been published and I thought it might be fun to connect with other writers in our rural area. 

I attended a meeting at the library and came away with the desire to participate in their discussions. It would "coincidentally" turn out that one of the members, an established and successful writer of cozy mysteries, Deborah Garner, lived directly across the street from me. We had missed meeting one another in a wooded area with large lots, both being somewhat new to the area. 

I settled into the group, thankful for these local artists. Along the way, I received a copy of Sallie's book, Virginia Primitive, published in 2012, a memoir about growing up in the south, a daughter of a white doctor, raised by her black nanny, A Tale of Jim Crow.

As the group gelled, talk of republishing Sallie's book surfaced. She had changes she wished to make to the book. The group felt the cover could be much improved, and Debbie, aka Deborah Garner, was on it. A combination of efforts ensued, and Sallie's new version of Virginia Primitive, A Tale of Jim Crow was published last year, 2023. You can find her book here.

Sallie shares one of the stories from her book in this audio. Both her words on the page as well as her reading are precious, coupled with her enthusiasm for life at 85—- magical and inspiring.

I love both versions of this book, but the latter reveals a healing that the prior did not. In a time when many have forgotten that we are all one in spirit, we need the Sallies of the world to remind us that we are capable of unconditional love, regardless of color, a God of choice, or any other irrelevant topic we might choose to divide us. 

I listen to Elton John’s Recover Your Soul as I write this,

Spare your heart, save your soul

Don't drag your love across the coals

Find your feet and your fortune can be told

Release, relax, let go

And hey now let's recover your soul

Lazy old sunset sinking like a tear

Alone at night in a losing battle

That perfect world is never clear

You have to fight for the things that matter

Artwork courtesy of Miriam Wheeler

Put aside 25 minutes to listen to Sallie’s story of walnut juice and divine love, on a drive or as you clean, perhaps on a break at work, or just relax on the porch. It’s a joy listening to Sallie's “fight for the things that matter.” 

And please, if you love this interview as much as I do, for goodness sake, press share and pass it along.

A postscript from Sallie after our interview:

Somewhere here, I said that Jim Crow was horrible, but that there was also love. I need to make sure I'm not perceived as downplaying the pain. I should have added, "But love is not enough. It might be just the beginning."

You can find Sallie’s book here.