Artist of the Month in Clare

By Sandra Doherty

The Clare County Arts Council  proudly brings you Tonya Willman, a poet who finds inspiration in everyday occurrences and images.  Tonya has been writing poetry for over 25 years. Her topics; children, love, lost love, nature, religion and just plain inspiration furnish the background for her new book, Windows of My Soul.  Tonya was born in Michigan coming to Clare in 1994.  She works in Made with Loving Hands  an arts and  crafts consignment store located on Mc Ewan Street in downtown Clare on Thursdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.  Everything in the store is ‘Michigan Made’ and you will find a large display of Tonyas’s poems tastefully framed and for sale.  While Tonya is multi-talented, having been  a preschool teacher, a youth soccer coach and youth leader at her church, and on the advisory board for the Clare county Parks and Recreation, her passion for expressing herself lies in writing poetry.  Join Tonya for a poetry reading/reception/book signing event on Saturday, March 23 at 4:00 p.m. at Made With Loving Hands.  Just meeting and hearing this vibrant woman express herself through her poetry is an experience you don’t want to miss.