Girard resident, Bridget Hill is inspired by every day events when she sits down to write her poems.
Hill, a 1992 graduate of Girard High School, began writing poetry about 15 years ago following the sudden death of a close friend.
''I couldn't express myself any other way,'' she said.
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Girard Community News / Kathleen Evanoff
Bridget Hill, of Girard, signs copies of her book ‘‘Welcome – Do Come In,’’ at the Mocha House in Warren on Jan. 19. A 1992 graduate of Girard High School, Hill began writing poetry about 15 years ago following the death of a close friend.
Her first book of poetry, ''Welcome - Do Come In,'' is filled with accounts of everyday life, from relationships to advice for her children. She is inspired, she said, by what she feels at the moment.
''Someone will say something,'' Hill said, ''and it will spark my imagination.
One of her favorite poems in the book is a list of advice she wrote for her two children, sons John, 12, and Dylan, 7. In the poem, Hill advises her children on things from how to frost a cake, the importance of good hygiene, being strong-willed and having a good work ethic. The list includes she wanted to instill in her children before she dies, Hill said.
''I felt a lot of things I write about are the same problems that other people have. I think readers can relate to them,'' she said.
Hill never gives titles to her poems, believing the reader can interpret her feelings in their own ways and form their own titles, she said.
''I want people to feel they're no alone,'' she said.
Hill, who works as an assistant manager for Dollar General in Girard, will be having another book signing at 7 p.m. Feb. 24 at the Lemon Grove, 122 W Federal St., Youngstown.
The book also is available through Amazon.com or through the publisher, iUniverse.com.