Biography

Hilda Ward is an African American mother of three; grandmother of four; and a great grandmother of two.  Ms. Ward is a semi-retired RN and Health Educator.  She taught in High School and college for 24 years in New York.

Hilda has been writing poetry since the year John F. Kennedy was killed.  Her first poem was about his assassination.  Her beginning poems were in rhyme and dealt mostly with family and the feelings she experienced as a wife, mother and nurse.  While raising her children, she decided to go back to school.  Her my poetry changed when a college professor told her that her poetry wasn't angry enough.  This was in the late 60s.  She went home and wrote a poem about getting angry and from that point on her poems came from free verse.

In 1994, Ms. Ward retired from teaching in high school and college in New York and thought she was going to Africa to teach but she found out she had to have surgery for cancer and so her dreams to go to Africa had to be put on hold.  In her grief, she found herself sending resumes to colleges. In 1996, Hilda began teaching at the University of Virginia and taught there for four years.  In 2000 when she retired for the second time, she was asked to continue co-facilitating the Multicultural Education class at UVA.  She continues that work until today.

Hilda Ward has written over 300 poems.  Hilda's poems come to her at all different times of the day and night and are inspired by all kinds of experiences.  "I can be sitting and writing in my journal, out walking, sitting at an overlook on the Blue Ridge Mountains or at the beach.  Poems may come as I am listening to a sermon or while at a workshop with other writers or even while waiting for a friend for dinner".

Hilda has two CDs of spokenword backed with music by George Melvin.  "Images" and "Oh! How I Praise Thee!"  Her first endeavor was a self published chapbook "Pieces of HER African American Quilt" in 1994.  She is a member of the steering committee for the "Virginia Festival Of The Book".  Every year she serves as a presenter of her literary work as well as volunteering her services in other areas of the festival.  Hilda is a member of the Virginia Writers Club and is poetry editor for their upcoming anthology.  She is the host of her own TV show "Artistic Expressions" on local public television in which she interviews local artists, writers, musicians and poets.  Ms. Ward's poetry has been published in several anthologies and she often does readings at bookstores, churches and gatherings.  Ms. Ward is an artist-in-residence for the local school district and enjoys sharing her poetry with students in elementary, middle and high school. 

"Writing is my life and often I feel I haven't spent enough time with it.  I also question the depth of my writing because I haven't had to deal with many struggles and life has not been as difficult as others.  I have been blessed and so, I find myself often tempted to be silent.  I can share my personal inadequacies.  I can share what I felt when I found out I could not go to Africa because I had to have surgery.  I survived and so many of my sisters did not.  I was able to get the best of care.  There are many of my sisters who must struggle with the pain and yet, can't walk through the doors of a medical facility because they don't qualify.  They cannot express their pain and so their stories are lost.  I realize I can't be silent.  I must write!  Maybe I can be an inspiration for those who can't write.  Maybe I can hold them in my heart.  I can survive for them!  I want to continue to write for those who have yet to travel through this experience with the hope that my writing might help to ease the depth of pain in their souls."   

 And so the journey continues...