Sharyn McCrumb:
(born February 26, 1948).
American writer best known for books that celebrate the history and folklore of Appalachia. McCrumb is the winner of numerous literary awards, and the author of the Elizabeth McPherson mystery series, the Ballad series, and the St. Dale series.
There is a time in late September when the leaves are still green, and the days are still warm, but somehow you know that it is all about to end as if summer was holding its breath, and when it let it out again, it would be autumn.
This line is describing a specific seasonal moment—late September—when:
– ‘The leaves are still mostly green’ (so summer hasn’t “fully” ended yet)
– ‘Days are still warm’
– Yet there’s an ‘inner certainty’ that summer is “about to stop”
– The metaphor says ‘summer is “holding its breath” ‘, and ‘autumn will arrive suddenly’ once that breath is released
Overall meaning:
It captures the ‘feeling’ of the transition from summer to autumn—calm, warm, and still—while also carrying a quiet awareness that change is imminent.
🧐 Origin🤔:
– The sentence is widely circulated online, often attributed to Sharyn McCumb (a well-known American novelist/poet).
– However, ‘I can’t reliably verify from a primary source’ in this chat whether McCumb is the definitive original author of this exact sentence.
– Attribution online is common, but ‘without a citation (book title, page, published collection, interview, etc.)’ it’s hard to confirm authorship with confidence.
✅ What I can say confidently:
‘It’s ‘plausibly’ attributed to Sharyn McCumb online, but ‘you’d want a source that includes bibliographic details’ to be sure.
✍️ Author 📝 : Sharyn McCumb
– Likely attribution:
Yes, many posts quote it as Sharyn McCumb.
– Confirmed?
Not confirmed here with a verifiable citation.
