About the author
Eddie Ray McMurray is a classical pianist, having studied under masters like Mme. Ruth Slenczynska, Dr. Edgar Robert, Aldo Mancinelli, Dr. Donald Pollei, and Dr. Richard Baca. Born in the small farming community of Sarepta, Louisiana, home of singer Trace Adkins as well as David Carraway, Eddie came to poetry later in life. It wasn't until a few poems were stolen by his roommates and submitted to a contest that he began to write seriously. His roommate enrolled him in a Poetry Workshop, and it was there that he gained his footing.
In 2013, during routine surgery, an embolism broke loose and left him semi-paralyzed in his left leg, two fingers on his right hand, and his right arm. It slurred his speech and affected his ability to sequence and multitask. After months of intensive and frustrating rehab, unsure of what lay ahead, he turned seriously to poetry as therapy, unsure of any direction it would take.
From January 2015 to the present he churned out between six and ten poems a day, giving thought to little else but the memory of all those who had touched and affected his life in some way. The end result is Granite Orchard, his first compilation of poetry.
Eddie lives, writes and composes in Springhill, Louisiana. He also teaches Bible at Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center and United Theological Seminary, and gives private piano lessons when time permits. He is currently working on another Master's Degree, this one in Apologetics at Liberty University and continues to write poetry, music, and movies surrounded by friends, 19 Schipperkees, 2 German Shepherds, and one Pit Bull.