Born and raised in Hannibal, Missouri (a small town with a big image) by a pastry cook mother (also a poet, songwriter and artist) with the nearby support of my grandparents (grandmother: homemaker and disciplinarian; grandfather: Head Chef of the Mark Twain Hotel), it came natural for me to have a love for baking and writing.We had a large family and extended family, so we were accustomed to having huge family gatherings, great food, lots of laughter, our share of drama and plenty of stories. In pursuit of the American Dream, my grandparents were God-fearing, law-abiding, rule-following patriots and instilled the same in us as displayed by having eight children that served in the military, the many academic scholars we had in our family, and their strictness about school attendance and work ethic. Being born in the late 50’s, my early years occurred during the 60’s (towards the end of the Jim Crow era and during the heart of the Civil Rights movement), while my teen and young adult years were in the 70’s (during the turmoil of the Nixon era, yet a period of renewed pride in blackness and universally freer thinking). So, as a shy, introverted, Black girl who had been instilled with the mantras of "trusting authority”, "following the rules" and "not making waves”, it took a good while – but slowly dawned upon me that those doctrines didn’t work for many of us: There were a lot of unscrupulous people out there, the system was meant to keep some chronically entangled and dependent, and the laws that we were supposed to abide by were primarily dictated by wealth, class or race - not fairness or honesty. So, with a clearer understanding of the various forces that affect our society, as well as believing that there is still more good than evil, while maintaining the core beliefs that my grandparents taught us, yet my curious and investigative nature, I feel that I am closer to finding my true voice.While my aim in my more serious writings is to cut through the pageantry and facade to search for the truth, the poet in me connects through my heart and soul with passion about any subject that shines under my lantern. Thank you for taking the time to read some of my offerings. I hope that each time you are enlightened, uplifted or entertained.Marjorie J. Frazier(P.S. I'm delighted to announce that I've had my bio translated into several languages -- Spanish, French, German, Japanese and Portuguese.)Read more about this authorRead less about this author