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Poet Talk: My Soul to Keep by Sarah Merritt Ryan

July 13, 2026 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

I met with Sarah Merritt Ryan recently to discuss her upcoming book My Soul to Keep.

Have a listen or watch and listen.

About the Book

My Soul to Keep is a deeply personal and spiritually resonant collection of sonnets that explores what it truly means to walk with God through the darkest seasons of life. Written primarily from a Christian perspective, these poems offer an intimate portrait of faith — not as a smooth and effortless journey, but as a living, breathing relationship that is tested, stretched, and ultimately strengthened through suffering.

At the heart of this collection is a profound truth: hardship does not have to destroy us. Long-suffering, when carried in faith, becomes a crucible that deepens our connection to God and shapes us into something more resilient, more compassionate, and more whole. Faith here is not static — it ebbs and flows, wavers and steadies — and that honest portrayal makes these sonnets feel achingly real.

Many of these poems are written from a woman’s perspective, and several speak with quiet courage to the wounds left by broken relationships and the pain inflicted by others. Yet even these most tender and difficult places are held within a larger story of survival and grace.

What ultimately distinguishes this collection is its vision of the final destination of enduring trial — not merely survival, but praise. To give thanks to God in the aftermath of suffering is portrayed here as both an act of healing and an act of liberation. Praise cleanses the heart of bitterness, loosens the grip of the past, and opens the soul to receive what God has always intended: wholeness, peace, and renewed purpose.

My Soul to Keep is for anyone who has ever wrestled with God and refused to let go.

Get your copy: https://www.prolificpulse.com/sarahmerrittryan

About the Author

Sarah Merritt Ryan is a North Carolina native who writes from a Christian perspective on faith and suffering, and this collection of sonnets is her first book. She is a member of the United Church of Christ. Her faith has helped her survive many trials, including her battle with schizophrenia.

Through patience, a refusal to give up, and believing there could be a bigger picture for her life, even when she could not see it, she persisted and did make a full recovery, going on to get married, become a mother, and rebuild her career. She has been symptom-free for 14 years while on medication for life, after having three psychotic breaks in two years.

Through a desire to help others have a better emotional experience than she did, she is now also a writer, speaker, and advocate for emotional recovery from psychotic disorders. Her writings on mental health include poetry, blogging, memoir, fiction, and academic publications.

She has a blog on Psychology Today called Healing Mind: My journey to cognitive and emotional recovery, which is used as training material for resident psychiatrists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC-CH) Schizophrenia Treatment and Evaluation (STEP) Program and is republished on the UNC School of Medicine website. She is a Certified Peer Support Specialist who works for the UNC Center for Community Excellence in Mental Health.

She also blogs for Nami.org and Life Effects, a blog by Teva Pharmaceuticals. She has been published twice in Writer’s Digest on topics related to mental illness. She has been published twice in the academic journal, Schizophrenia Bulletin Open. She has a full-length memoir in the works.

She is also a public speaker and NAMI volunteer who was named Hometown Hero in 2024 by the North Carolina Women’s Courage Professional Soccer Team, Lenovo, and NAMI Wake County for her mental health advocacy work in the Raleigh-Durham area. She is also the Parent Advocate for the Wake County Public School System, representing parents living with mental illness.

She has a degree in Journalism from UNC-Chapel Hill and a Master of Science degree in Communication from NCSU.

Her website is sarahmerrittryan.com

Book Launch

If you are in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, you are welcome to join the Book Launch. Registration

TTOT

Ten Things of Thankful-September 22, 2025

September 22, 2025 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

The leaves are falling a little at a time. Before long they will fill the walkways. And I will still be thankful, oh so very thankful for all the joys that have nipped my awareness in the butt! What a week that was!!!

Over the weekend I felt a great need to go into the world vs staying in the comfort of my own abode. Daughter and I ventured to the North Carolina Museum of Art for a paper and art event. There were a variety of schools represented along with organizations who encourage art in publishing. There were several zines being created, freebies, and just a whole lotta good, spirited energy. Afterwards we went to a sweet cafe and had breakfast for lunch, one of our favorite mother-daughter things to do. We ran some errands before giving in to a rest at home. What great fun we had! I did not work on any projects. I just had fun and relaxed. It was a lovely day with my favorite gal.

Since it is still tax season, that explains where sweetheart was. He was happy for us to go out in the lovely weather and enjoy some special time.

Sunday, we had the book launch for Social Possibilities. It was a fun event, so relaxing to be amongst wonderful people who are also poets. Win Win!!

Today, I was able to go for a tour of the Women’s Center of Wake County and take them the check from the fundraiser. They gave me a tour and I learned a lot about how they help the women in our county. What an amazing staff, with such devotion and smiles everywhere. You couldn’t help but feel the positive spirit in the building. I also learned about their needs and how the community can help. It’s a list and one that is important to pay attention to. Of course, I am thankful I am not homeless and to be honest, there were times in my life it was looking possible.

It’s a God thing. I am convinced. We are put here for a reason. Well, a funny thing happened. Awhile back I met another publisher in Raleigh. She and I met and talked shop and met again and talked some more. Small world, big world, call it what you want…we discovered that she is from an area where one of my poetry friends lives and just so happens that she was going there for a conference. So, I just got off the phone with my friend out there after they met for lunch. Turns out that the Raleigh person went to school with my friend’s husband. Isn’t that something!

When we allow ourselves outside of the comfort zone, it’s amazing what you can find.

And today, I bought a bouquet of flowers. All is well. How are you?

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Ten Things of Thankful-September 15, 2025

September 15, 2025 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

Are we on the edge of fall?

It seems there’s a message in the air.

Winds have calmed and sun has dozed.

Crispness fills the air.

Hello and welcome to TTOT for you and for me!

I hope you all have had a thankful week. I know mine has been full of mini and monumental moments. Today, I am a bit blog happy with so much goings on.

Saturday, we went to my first in-person NC Poetry Society meeting. I have attended online, but this was pretty cool. It was made possible by their holding it in Cary, just a little way down the road. Here’s a picture that Mari Fitz-Wynn took of us. I am in the middle, and my friend Chanah Wizenberg is on the right.

Yesterday afternoon, I set up my very first book fair table. Sweetheart was able to be with me and as we dined the lunch at the venue, we called it a “date.” It’s been a busy time for both of us, and we grab those moments with gratitude. We tried our very first smashburger and while it was good, I think I like mine juicier, but it was not too bad.

We both enjoyed the fair. As one who likes to observe my surroundings, I had a great seat which I was able to select as an early bird. If you know Hans and I, you know we like to arrive on time, if not way early. We had fun setting up tables and decorating ours. Purple is my favorite color, so we did it all up in purples.

It’s been so lovely outside that I was able to swim at the Y for one of the sessions.

It was a little brry, but the pool was heated and the little cool gave us incentive to move! I will call that a win!

I learned how to make little zines to hand out at the book fair. People who took them, really loved them. Thanks to Poet Loralee Clark (oh yes, I did put a link there) who created a video to demonstrate how to make them. They are so much fun that I may have a new project to add to my long list. I thought it was the sweetest thing that she took the time to create this video and it was just perfect. Thank you, Loralee!

The Unhoused-Yearning for Home project is coming to a close for submissions. We have had several submissions and hope to get more. We are greatly in need of cover art.

In response to a Pampered Chef party, several friends stepped up and donated to the Women’s Center of Wake County by ordering. I’ll be stopping into the center soon to take them the proceeds. I am grateful for people who stepped up to help these women. Also, I put up my birthday wish on Facebook and someone donated to it, as well. That also goes to the Women’s Center. A percentage of proceeds from Unhoused will also go to the center. I am overjoyed with the responses.

As of today, tax season part two will end in just over a month. Technically, October 25 since the extensions happened in this state, but I am calling it October 15. It just sounds better.

Well, that’s a lot a good stuff up there, doncha think? What’s your TTOT? Drop a line or two to share.

TTOT

Ten Things of Thankful-September 8, 2025

September 8, 2025 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

It’s TTOT and I am long past the time. A friend reminded me of the importance of sharing our thankfuls and now I feel renewed to share. 1. I am grateful for friends who remind us about what’s important. 2. I am grateful for a washer and dryer. I was recently reminded about how that’s a modern convenience that not all are so fortunate to have. I really think I would be lost without them. 3. I am grateful that my daughter has been at her position as barista for one year this past August. She is doing so well and even been in the promotional videos. She is loving it! 4. I am grateful for my friend from Australia who sends me these beautiful handmade cards. It really cheers me up. And that she has made a connection with my daughter who is our card maker. 5. I am grateful for the wonderful support from my loved ones. My husband has attended many a meeting with me, not because he’s all that interested, but because he is interested in me and us being together. That’s the sweetest. And I am thankful for him. 6. I am grateful for each day that is closer to the end of the second tax season. We have one month and seven days. 7. I am grateful for my crockpot which is cooking supper and bonus grateful for the deals I find in the grocery store. It’s a challenge and I do like a good challenge. 8. I am grateful for the pumpkin blossoms that are simply that. I know the why is because they need more room for roots, but the blossoms have been fun. Along with these, I have had two roses, one at a time, show up from the miniature rose bush, potted on the patio. And the orange mystery flowers that have come up. 9. I am grateful that my insurance covers a gym membership and that I have been able to attend the aquatic exercise programs. Plus, it also covers an exercise program that is specifically designed for my needs, for at home. 10. You. You are loving, patient, and kind.

Today is the last day I can post this and get in the link. Perhaps you could write a list and share, too. Anyways, click on this link and see the other TTOT’s.

Short Fiction, short story, six sentence story, writing

The Strength of Hope and Faith

February 12, 2021 Lisa Tomey-Zonneveld

This is my Six Sentence Story, a continuation about Clarabelle and Shandy, which has been a running story for a few weeks. I have not decided if this is the end, but I will see what happens as the week goes by. Perhaps the other story members will call out to me and ask me to tell more about them. Thanks to Denise for putting up with my attempt at serializing this story and for being less than concise. Yes, I push those six sentences to the limit, guilty as charged. So, are you thinking you want to join Denise’s Six Sentence Story blog hop? Well, hop to it by going to this LINK

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The Strength of Hope and Faith

Shandy continued with her story about he husband, away, serving in Vietnam, “Clair, I was so religious about writing to Marcus and it would be spurts where I didn’t hear from him, before I would be several letters in one day, so it was just the way it was where he was serving, he was on the front lines and I couldn’t really expect instant letters every day,” Shandy paused, starting to tear up, Clarabelle reached over and patted her hand, and poured another cup of tea for Shandy, “and then the letters slowed down, real slow, sometimes for weeks, and I got really worried that there was something wrong, and then I got a letter from him that there was a bad storm and it was more than difficult to get letters out, so he was okay and, well, I was surely relieved, a lot of the letters he had ready to mail, ended up in a mess of mud and they pretty much had to plow through all the muck to get to a clear path, so those were long gone.”

“Oh, my dear girl, that must have been quite the ordeal for you, as I remember how it was for my family, it sure could be hard to get those letters back and forth, I suppose wars have a way about making it hard, too bad there was no easy way to make a phone call.”

“That’s just the thing, Clair, I did get a phone call from Marcus, he sounded so distraught, and said that he had to take some time to sort things out, and in the meantime, he was put on medic assistance duty, so he could clear his head, although, I will tell you that in a war zone, it’s hard to clear your head in a medical camp, so it was hard for him, but he took to the work, and he did so well with it that they kept him there for the duration, so, you see, that worked out; and when he came back home he decided to pursue medicine and went to school for emergency medical technician training, not really wanting to be a doctor, but an emergency worker, since he found out that was where he did his best work,” pausing to catch her breath, Shandy sipped her tea before continuing, “while Marcus studied, I worked as a waitress, because I was good at it and was not ready to consider going to school or start a family, not until he was solid with his job, so I was able to bring in a lot of tips, because that’s where waitresses make their real money, and we managed well, even if it was tight, but we had our love and it all worked out.”

“That’s an adventure you have had with learning to be patient and survive what must have been one of the most difficult times of your life and look how you came through with helping your husband do well and pursue his goals, for the best of both of you.”

“Thank you, Clair, it was nice, like a real-life honeymoon in a way as we just worked well together, like a team, so after he graduated and was working full-time, I was able to think about my own goals, and that was when I got pregnant, not really planned, but not unwanted either, so there I was pregnant and that’s when things changed, and not for the better, mind you, and I finally got it out of him about his experiences in Vietnam and things he saw, and how he was afraid he would not be a good father; of which I assured him that such a kind soul could be nothing less than a great dad; but he started pulling back, became less affectionate and the nightmares he had were more frequent, they were always about something to do with the war, and I was so afraid for him, knowing it must have been painful to see things and not forget, but I was always there for him, no matter what, and we gradually worked on things with a counselor, I mean, he was invested, for sure, and the counselor helped us get past these things, and when we had our little boy, he was the best father to him, always careful with handling him, and affectionate, like all his worries went away,” pausing for a tissue, the wells of pain flooded and Shandy shook, trembling and collapsed in Clair’s arms, eventually, with the comfort of Clair, Shandy was able to go on, “Marcus was the best father to our son, Gerald, and loved him until his last days, as, Marcus had a heart attack while he was working on a run and he did not make it, and it turned out he may have had a heart condition, but at that point, we just knew that he was gone and Gerald and I carried on, as best as we could, Gerald was 19 when his father passed away and he is doing well with college, but when he decided to go away to school, I decided I needed to get away from all the memories and moved to Iowa, so while the war did not ruin us, life had another plan, and I rely on the presence of his spirit to keep Marcus alive, but, to tell you the honest truth, I just could not longer live in a town where we made many happy memories, so just like my dad live after he lost mom, I moved.”

“Sweetheart, life surely does turn things around unexpectedly, but it looks like you are a get on up and get to it kind of person, look at how you have done with your life, you serve others, you are compassionate, you have a strength which is calm, yet mighty, and I certainly do understand the desire to move to new memories, as I had to do similar when I lost Herbie, I could no longer live in the house we made into a home, so I made a move to an apartment, and now, my dear Shandy, I have a beautiful, inside and out, friend, and we are not that much different, just in age, but not much different in clarity, we will plow through life and find that at the end of the road, is a heap of heap of muck, but that muck is what we have to go through to find the treasures.”