Etta's poems are personal, spiritual about nature and life. Her poetry allows you to see life unfold through the eyes of a woman through her youth, marriage and motherhood. Etta was born on a plantation reared in a Christain home and married at age sixteen to her husband, Lee H. Martin. Later in life she became a mother of four sons, grandmother of five and great grandmother of two. Etta lived for 26 years as a military wife. She always had a desire to write so when adversity knocked at her door during the Vietnam and Desert Storm wars, where her husband and youngest son Derrick served, Etta started writing to survive because she knew her family needed and depended on her. Writing poems became a way of life, piece of mind and method of survival for Etta. Through her poems and prayer life, Etta found herself presenting this wonderful book of poetry called...I Am Not Afraid to Speak.