Barbara L ThomasBarbara L. Thomas is a non-tribal Eastern Cherokee (her mother's people having escaped the Trail of Tears to settle in southern Illinois near Shawnee Town). She was born high in the Cascades in 1927; in her teens was the recipient of a generous Lanha Foundation College Scholarship. She came to poetry late, past sixty. Her first book, Lilacs Wilting on Nancy's Bonnet: A Cherokee Narrative, was nominated for both the Pushcart Prize and the Bumbershoot Literary Award, 2001. Read More Read Less