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Truth in poetry: Leslie Harper Worthington ’07 reflects on Auburn, authorship

Literature has always influenced how Leslie Harper Worthington ’07 understands the world, how she remembers and how she tells the truth.

That foundation was built through her education, particularly at Auburn University during the 1980s and again in the early 2000s. Immersed in English and Southern literature, Worthington spent years engaging with texts, ideas and mentors that would later shape how she told her own story.

She went on to build a long and accomplished career in higher education. For decades, she balanced professional responsibility and family life, with writing present but often secondary. Like many writers, she once imagined a different creative future.

“Years and years ago, I intended to be a novelist, but where was the time? Kids, job… So, I wrote poetry because I could finish a poem in less time and it actually got finished,” Worthington said. “Somewhere along the way, I became a poet instead of a novelist. When I retired and had the time to write, all that came out was poetry.”

With time and distance, Worthington found both the space to write and the perspective needed to return honestly to her past. Only then did the stories she carried quietly for years begin to surface.

“Memory is a tricky thing, even if the event happened yesterday. If it was 50 years ago, can we even be sure of what we remember? Is it memory or is it design?” Worthington asked. “Distance from loss gives you perspective, or maybe just allows you to write about it. I’m not sure I could have told the stories or let someone else read them earlier in my life. Maybe resilience is part of the answer. I survived to tell the story.”

That survival, and the willingness to put it into words, sit at the heart of her upcoming poetic memoir, “Why Would You Leave Me?,” published by Finishing Line Press. In the collection, Worthington revisits a childhood shaped by painful revelations about her parentage and the confusion of growing up without steady guidance. The poems trace a long emotional journey toward understanding, forgiveness and peace.

Poetry, she said, made recounting that difficult journey possible.

“I hope readers not only enjoy the poems but also see themselves reflected. More importantly, I hope they take away the value of telling their own stories, owning their truths and embracing their right to express them openly and honestly.”

Worthington is also set to release “Lingering: A Poet’s Journey through Literary Landscapes,” published by North Meridian Press. In the collection, she visits writers’ homes, graves, monuments and museums, pairing photographs of each site with poems inspired by the lives and legacies of the authors connected to them.

“My time at Auburn especially influenced ‘Lingering,’” Worthington said. “The literary sites I visited were directly influenced by the courses I took from professors like Bert Hitchcock, Marcia Jacobson, Miller Solomon, Dan Latimer, Margaret Kouidis and many others.”

For those who feel drawn to creative work later in life, or who hesitate because of doubt or timing, Worthington offers simple, hard-earned advice.

“We are often held back by our fears of inadequacy and failure. A question that comes to mind a lot is, ‘Am I too old to be starting this?’ The answer is no. If we’re still here, it’s not too late.”

Tags: Alumni English