Byron Ballard MFA (Asheville, NC) is a teacher, folklorist, and writer who was born and raised in western North Carolina. She has served as a featured presenter at Sacred Space Conference, Southeast Wise Women»s Herbal Conference, Glastonbury Goddess Conference, and other gatherings and has spoken at conferences at Harvard and the University of North Carolina. Ballard is senior priestess and cofounder of Mother Grove Goddess Temple and the Coalition of Earth Religions/CERES. She writes a regular column for SageWoman Magazine and is the author of four previous books, including Staubs and Ditchwater.