"Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the soul.” Whether you’re a poetry buff or not, you probably have heard this line and know that it is pure Emily Dickinson.

I have to admit that I have been late in coming to a real appreciation of poetry. For me, it was mostly a matter of not really understanding what the poet was trying to say. Over the past few years, though, poets like Mary Oliver and Rumi have touched a chord in me and made me realize that poetry is like music; it bypasses the head and goes straight to the heart.

Emily Dickinson is one of America’s most widely beloved and quoted poets. Writing in the 19th century, Dickinson questioned her somewhat puritanical background and explored her spirituality through her very personal poetry. That may be why Lois, also known as LoKackl, writes in her article, Emily Dickinson, the Less is More Poet, that “each Emily Dickinson poem seems to be about me.”

There are several Squidoo pages about Emily Dickinson but I particularly like this one by Lois because she tells a personal story. The first time she heard an Emily Dickinson poem at Salem College in North Carolina, she says it set off sparks in her head, like eruptions. At the time, the popular song “Killing Me Softly” by Roberta Flack, became associated for her with “newly discovered Dickinson poems that quietly torpedoed her lukewarm attitude toward poetry.” Lois, a wonderful writer herself, shares eloquently how certain poems affected her. I am betting that you will really enjoy the enthusiasm for Emily Dickinson she brings to her writing.

Although Dickinson died in 1886, her popularity has not waned. Groups all over the world get together to discuss her works and to figure out what has made her so successful. One of Lois’ friends says, "Once Emily Dickinson gets hold of you, she never lets go!"

Do you have a favorite poet or Emily Dickinson poem?

Visit: Emily Dickinson

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?

ComfortDoc: Squidoo is a great way for me to create health promotion lenses, discuss overlooked topics and promote helpful resources. It has also been a way of creating lenses on other topics, charities, organization, people and products and current events that I want to promote.

Squidoo also gives me an easy way to donate funds to charity by just making a lens page. About 1/3 of my profits are donated to a variety of charities. The greatest percentage is to the Squidoo Charity Fund, because I have 10% of each lens going towards this charity. Because of this and my work with the Squidoo Activists, I was recently recognized as the Generous Giant, Giant Squid.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: Is Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better?

ComfortDoc: I think there is always room for improvement with anything that you are doing. I continue to be amazed at what the Squidoo developers come up with as new modules for us to use. My favorite recent one is the Donations Module that makes it easier for readers to donate directly to their favorite charity.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?

ComfortDoc: I get my inspiration from a variety of different areas in which I have an interest either professionally or personally.

1. Grief & Loss Expert
2. Physician/Health Educator
3. Nutrition Professor
4. Being a Mother to two almost 'tween girls
5. Charities that I am interested in promoting
6. Peace Promotion
7. Health Education and Wellness Promotion
8. Current Events
9. Other interests – nature, going green and products that I use.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?

ComfortDoc: At this point, I am nearing 200 lenses which with the holidays coming up and getting several WIP's published; I anticipate I will reach long before Christmas.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?

ComfortDoc: It alternates between How to Write a Condolence Note or a Sympathy Note and Loss, Grief and Bereavement. My Dr. Randy Pausch – A Superhero lens also was very popular before and then after his untimely death.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?

ComfortDoc: Content

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?

ComfortDoc:

1. Take a look at a variety of different Giant Squid Lenses to see the many different ways that these lensmasters have used the different modules and developed different styles. 
2. Experiment with the different available modules. Remember to check for new ones.
3. Get involved with the Squidoo Community. Join the Groups, Post good information (or comments) on SquidU. Create a group as a way to meet other lensmasters (you can even invite them personally to join your group).
   
   

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What makes you passionate about Squidoo.com?

NancyOram: I have always been passionate about adding truly good content to the web and Squidoo stands for this first and foremost. I also love the fact that Squidoo makes it easy to put up a really good web page without having to learn how to make a web site yourself, which I struggled with for years.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: Is Squidoo perfect already or what could make it better

NancyOram: There's always room for improvement, but it's close to perfect. Squidoo is good about listening to suggestions and often implementing them. They are constantly improving.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: Squidoo Lens Reviews: What inspires you to make a new lens?

NancyOram: I started with my most obvious interests and passions, then the niche businesses I had, including my eBay store. I have 70 lenses now, and I still haven't exhausted my interests. Sometimes I wake up at 3 in the morning with a thought and scribble it down in the dark so I don't forget. When I wake up in the morning I sometimes find it was a good idea, and sometimes I wonder, "What on earth was I dreaming?"

Squidoo Lens Reviews: How many lenses do you have?

NancyOram: 70 at this point.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What is your most popular lens?

NancyOram: My most popular lens has consistently been Old Fashioned Candy Making Secrets and Recipes

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What one sentence or one word describes your success?

NancyOram: Determination, without a doubt.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: What should a newbie do first?

NancyOram: Just start making that lens. You can junk it and start over if you don't like it, but you have to start using the modules and seeing how it all comes together. Then, as you have questions, go to SquidU and the forum and find the answers, that way they learn how to make a lens and start participating in the community at the same time.

Squidoo Lens Reviews: Which of your lenses do you want to make sure the whole world knows about?

NancyOram: This is really hard, and my answer might be different tomorrow, but I'll say How to Start Your Genealogy because I feel passionate about researching your family tree. It's something that grounds people, and we could all use that.

Nancy aka NancyOram