Observing the emergence of honeysuckle and the bees it fees, this writer feels that the years are passing ever more quickly
by Catherine Carter | illustration by Jillian Ohl

Catherine Carter’s latest poetry collection is By Stone and Needle; her work includes two other full-length collections, two chapbooks  and a cotranslation of John Gower’s Middle English poem The Lover’s Confession. Her work has appeared in Poetry, Ploughshares, RHINO and Best American Poetry. “Winter honeysuckle is one of my favorite flowers; its scent goes back to my earliest memories. I’m so delighted when it blooms — but always worry it’s blooming too soon.”

Jillian Ohl is an artist, illustrator and designer whose art balances fine art and illustration with works on paper and zines examining fashion, pop culture, humor, femininity and sense of place through watercolor, drawing, printmaking and collage. A graduate of NC State and longtime Raleigh resident, she currently lives in Western North Carolina, where she works as an Assistant Professor of Graphic Design at Western Carolina University. “Illustrating poetry is a unique challenge because you need to tap into the tone and nuance of the words. It’s hard to think about spring when I’m drawing in icy January — but it helps me think it’s not far away!”  

This article originally appeared in the March 2026 issue of WALTER magazine.