Carol’s Corner, Christian Writings, LIVING LIFE TODAY, IN JESUS’ NAME, is a bright and uplifting compilation of original true stories, poetry and songs. It encompasses the Love of Christ and words of God’s desire for us to have a personal relationship with Him. Carol’s poetry expresses the Love of God by depicting the beauty and awe of Creation, the splendor of the seasons and the joy of children, the sound of a robin, the breeze against one’s skin.
Several original songs were written in times of sorrow but they burst forth with hope and comfort and peace when the reader embraces the healing love of Christ.
Carol’s Biography and Editorial Reviews
Carol Ann Castagna: Biography
Carol Ann Castagna is a poetess, pianist, composer and lyricist, published author and retired psychiatric R.N. Clinician. She graduated Bridgeport Hospital School of Nursing then earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Social Services from the University of Bridgeport in addition to graduate studies in Art Therapy at Albertus Magnus College. She has held positions from Staff Nurse to Director of Nursing Services.
Carol Ann’s writings have been published in several publications including the book, Penned from the Heart, the News Letters, Nursing Spectrum and Connecticut Nursing News and Poetry Pacific, an e-zine as well as various anthologies.
Many of her poems were entered in contests and received Honorable Mention by her peers including the Senior Poet Laureate and the Editors and Writers Network. Almost a dozen poems were displayed for two consecutive years, 1999 and 2000 by the Komen Ct Art for the Cure at the New Britain Museum of American Art.
An accomplished pianist, Carol Ann has used her talents to delight and uplift patients at hospitals, assisted living lodgings and hospices. She has served as church pianist most of her life and also taught piano. The music of her original compositions can be accessed on her website www.joypsalms.com. The author’s lyrics can be found under the Poetry tab of the same website. She is the author of her book, A Gentle Kiss from God: Poetry, Prayers and Psalms, an illustrated book of thoughts and reflections, prose, prayer, praise and music.
She is currently married to the Rev. Vincent Castagna. Their blended family consisting of four children, eight grandchildren and three greatgrandchildren. They make their home near the Gulf Coast of Florida.
carolacastagna@substack.com
Carol’s Editorial Reviews:
Carol Castagna’s Chapbook, Giggles of Nature
Sandra Perkins 5.0 out of 5 stars What a great little book! Carol really touches so many lives with her wonderful poems. Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2019 She is a wonderful gift that the Lord has given us. Thank you, Carol
Hunter, Isolde 5.0 out of 5 star sBursting with love! Giggles of Nature is bursting with love! This soul-soothing little book of poetry is infectious with the joy of this author's Grace-filled spirit. Ms. Castagna's descriptive choices vividly and most beautifully magnify all the beauty of nature that we are Blessed to be surrounded by ~beauty we are prone to daily overlook. She includes the joy of, children, friends, spouse, motherhood, as part of this natural world, we are gifted with by God. Never cloying with sentimentality, her words bubble with inspiration and musicality! "Sunday Afternoon,"(one of my very favorites) exudes her warmth and love, and is sure to leave the reader feeling deep gratification. A gem of poetic writing you will reread many times.
Valerie Caraotta 5.0 out of 5 stars Poetic expressions on nature and love to warm your heart Reviewed in the United States on March 31, 2019 Author Carol Castagna has once again produced a poetic work that touches the human soul. She has a unique way of making the words dance off the page. Carol trusts Jesus Christ as her Savior and delights to portray His sovereign hand in all the beauty before us. Changing seasons are wonderfully expressed with vivid personification and analogy. Here are some segments taken from various poems. "Drape your crimson-gold over my shoulders, your liquid emerald at my feet...Warm me with color before winter breaks the day with cold and ice... fair autumn, your majesty commands first place among the seasons... leaves drop recklessly... They whirl like butterflies and flirt with wind gusts... " "... Summer’s song rouses robins to trill sweet echoes in June... " "With every step I hear the sound of ice, crackling, echoing, then resting on footprints."
This joyful poetic work will be a delight for adults of all ages. We are reminded of the brevity on this side of eternity yet the glories of that which await a believer, someday. This also is a glimpse into the heart of the Author."I am content to look toward heaven and remember His promise. He remains my Portion, who breathes life into each new day. And softly, I say, 'Stay with me, Lord, as I grow older, and with joy, await your return.'" I recommend this book and give it five stars for the quality and impact it has on the reader.
Nancy Le Marie This book makes you breathe joy and peace in a world that is being bombarded with darkness. Restoration and beauty of our God's Love, as demonstrated, thru the talents of the author. Nancy LeMaire
Interview by Mary Harwell Sayler with Christian poet and writer Carol Castagna
Branch out from The Vine, Christ Jesus, with Bible truths, Christian unity, love, and accuracy in our writings.
TUESDAY, MARCH 10, 2015
Welcome, Carol! As one of our administrators for the Christian Poets & Writers group on Facebook, many of our members will be eager to know more about you and your writing life. Tell us what writing projects you’re working on now.
I am working on my first book of poetry and prose, and I’m hoping the next step will be publication at long last. Perhaps this is common among writers, perhaps not, but my book has been “almost ready” to be published for quite a few years. There always seems to be a little tweaking that I could do. Some of my poems were written close to 50 years ago and some, a few months ago. I publish weekly on my website, Joy Psalms/archives
Tell us about your publishing credits.
I would be happy to – thank you. My first poem was published in the Connecticut Nursing News, and Nursing Spectrum published my second work of prose. The next few poems placed in anthologies and almost one dozen poems were accepted as a result of a juried contest. Most recently, Poetry Pacific accepted poems for their autumn and winter editions, and Penned from the Heart published several of my poems too. I’ve also placed poems or received honorable mentions in various writing competitions. The Cambridge Poetry Journal, Dec 2020, Jan and Feb 21
Good work! What experiences or education helped to prepare you?
Accelerated English courses in high school and college, the Writer’s Workshop at Gordon-Conwell Bible College, and Christian Writer’s Workshops have been an enormous contribution to my writing skills. When I was a child, I read the Psalms before I fell asleep. As years passed, I often read the Bible for it was an education in itself! I‘ve always loved words, and I love to use them as well. So, with a contemplative (meditative) mind and a love for the language, I moved toward creative writing. Dad’s book on coffee table in what was then known as) our parlor POEMS THAT TOUCH THE HEART BY ALEX ALEXANDER of various authors about (kindness, family, love, the meaning of life, beauty of the earth)
Do you see your writing as a gift or calling?
Yes, I truly see my writing as a gift and calling. I have always had a passion for souls. At age 14, I felt the Lord’s call on my life to serve Him in speaking of His love. Circumstances prevented me from attending a Bible college in another state. So, I thought of Jesus’ saying: “If you have done it unto the least of these, you have done it unto Me.” I became an R.N. and worked with the underprivileged populations in public health and mental health, but my passion for souls never dimmed. Today in the autumn of my life, the Lord has offered me the opportunity to reach people over the Internet through my writings and music. After all these years, He presented a way that would fit! I love Him; I love writing, and He loves me, which gives me Joy Psalms of prose, poetry, and music.
Wonderful! Now that you have a writing outlet, what do you hope to accomplish?
”I could never have imagined that this was His plan: that I would be a missionary, not physically in a foreign field during the 1960s, but from 2014 to whatever time remains for me! God has allowed me to write His words of love on my website and blogs and eventually perhaps publish in print!! I’d love to publish a book of JoyPsalms plus the several hundred other writings over the years.
The Lord has blessed me, since I was a child, with the desire, to have everyone come to know Him – His life, death, resurrection, promises, teachings, love for mankind, and hope of eternity. And I believe He has gifted me with the ability to convey the love of Christ through the blessings He has bestowed upon me: the ability to write poetry, prose, music, lyrics and play music on the piano. I am so overwhelmingly blessed; I feel I must share! It is astounding to me to be able to share all of this on the internet where many can read and listen!”
”I also hope to accomplish two other things through my writing as I believe some issues for Christian women need to be discussed further:
1.) Often, Christian women tend to remain in abusive relationships (physical and/or emotional) or marriages long after they need to leave.
2.) Often, Christian women tend to avoid medication and counseling for depression due to an unwarranted fear that this may not be ‘the Christian thing to do.’
Since, I have researched and worked with the afore-mentioned issues as well as lived some of the angst and agonies, in my first marriage, associated with these situations, myself, I would like to begin a blog or two about these troubling matters -or write in some format or speak regarding these issues.”
Surely that will be a tremendous blessing and encouragement to your readers, Carol! Who or what encouraged you to write?
”I have been influenced to write by the words in the Bible, (especially Psalms), the words of Jesus Christ and by my Christian heritage. My mom and dad each wrote the following words on the rough draft of my first manuscript close to 20 years ago: Mom wrote, “I see your heart on every page.” Dad wrote, “You take words, write them down on paper, and make them smile.”"
“My husband offers constant support through prayer and a patient and understanding heart. My children and grandchildren stand by me in my efforts and accomplishments, too, as well as dear friends who have continued to cheer me on over the years. *My grandson, Ryan is a writer of poetry as well. *My great-grandson, Maximus, age 9, writes poetry and shares it in the classroom.”
Tell us a little more about the influences that moved you to write on behalf of the Lord.
”Dad read the Bible early in the morning, every morning and sang hymns most of the day. He believed in me and was greatly moved by my writing. He believed in everything about me and encouraged me to further my education, which I did.
My dad's mom was a saintly woman with a holy countenance. She was poor in the world's eyes but rich in God's love and kindness. She quietly praised the Lord in church and sang hymns as though Jesus and she were the only two in the room. She smiled and greeted the others with peace and a sense of reverence about her… and also joy.
My mom’s mother and I had so much fun together, and she was my mentor too. She taught me from the Bible, and I saw how she emulated the love of her Lord – as a woman of prayer and a woman who lived near the heart of God.
I sat with both grandmothers in church, and I felt the Lord’s presence and power in that little church too.
Later in life, a dear friend, Elisabeth Smith, a pastor’s wife, told me about a Creative Writing Workshop, at Gordon Conwell College. She encouraged me to attend…and I did!”
What a blessed inheritance, Carol! And now you’re passing it on to your family and readers. Before we close, do you have a helpful suggestion or word of encouragement to offer other Christian poets or writers?
I encourage writers and poets to be prayerful before writing. If we are quiet before God, His Word shines through. I pray that readers will be touched by the Holy Spirit, nudged to open their eyes to the Word of God and their hearts to the person of Jesus Christ. I pray that they will write from their hearts, write from their own experiences and interests and most of all, count upon the Lord to lead you in writing and in all things.
Thanks for giving us a glimpse of your Christian writing life, Carol. May God continue to bless you and all you do in Jesus’ Name.
