L. E. Barrett

L. E. Barrett, (born 24 June 1950), is an American author and poet.

Early life and education
L. E. Barrett grew up in Hallowell, Maine, a small city on the Kennebec River. His father Clifford (Dip) and mother Geneva (Jean) ran a beer store on Hallowell’s main street. He attended the Hallowell school system. In December 1968, at the age of 18, he left high school to join the United States Marines. He served in Vietnam with Fox Company, 2ndBattalion 9th Marine Regiment, and 3rd Marine Division. After a tour in the Marine Corps, he left the Marines to attend college.

Career
Throughout a career in the military and senior government L.E. Barrett has honed his writing skills. His poetry and short stories are entertaining and distinctive. His books on native plants and unusual recipes are a literary gastronomy.

Since 2012, L.E. Barrett has written two novels, two poetry books, a play, a book of short stories, and three books on Maine’s iconic natural plants.

After completing college, L.E. Barrett assumed a number of positions before returning to the military to pursue a career in the Army in 1984. In 2003, he retired as a Colonel for the US Army and went to work for NASA and then the Department of Veteran Affairs. He left the Department Veteran Affairs in 2012.

Personal life
L. E. Barrett has three sons and two grandsons. He has two previous marriages to Theresa Pond of Maine and Mary Wasinger of Colorado. He currently lives with his wife Tina Murphy Hamilton Barrett in Monroe, Maine.

Honors

 * L. E. Barrett was awarded five Meritorious Service Medals and the Army’s Annual Junior Officer literary award given by the Freedom Foundation.