August 16, 2007
Bainbridge-- Jamie Brannon is an English major at Bainbridge college. He says adversity in his life led him to discover writing as a talent. Now, he hopes his first book, "Full Blooded Poetry," will motivate others to follow their dreams.
The fifth of 8 children, Brannon was a happy, high school athlete following in his football-playing brother's footsteps. "I had to follow that trend so I played, but then when I got hurt it was like, ain't no more football, football is over," says Brannon.
A serious car accident just two years later left Brannon in even deeper dispair. "I was like, I don't know what I'm going to do now and that's when I started writing," he says. Brannon began writing poetry as a personal outlet.
Then in 2005, his mother Clyde Brannon passed away after battling breast cancer. "After your mom's gone, you're basically by yourself so now I said now is the time to really be a man and try to do something so I can help myself and others," says Brannon. He decided he wanted to share his poetry with others, so put it all into a book.
"I just started chasing that vision, I just started following that vision that God gave me, I just kept writing," Brannon explains. And it didn't take long to find success. "I sent it to publish America and I'd say in like 2 weeks they sent me a letter saying they liked it and they wanted to publish it."
Even the cover, half of a lion's face, half of Brannon's, was his idea. To display the courage he found in writing the book. "If you've got a love for something, go after it and that's all I'm saying," says Brannon. It's the same message he wants to pass along to everyone who reads it.
Brannon has a book signing set on the Bainbridge College main campus at 10 a.m. August 28th and one later the same day at the Early county site at 1 p.m.
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