How Poetry Changed My Life for the Better

I started writing poetry on a regular basis at 14 years old. I started writing about love – mostly about food and my long-distance relationship. From then on, poetry followed me wherever I went. But maybe it was I who followed the poetry? Poetry was there for me through breakups, high school, tragedy, and family […]

Back for Camp NaNoWriMo!

Camp NaNoWriMo is becoming more poet-friendly every year. When I first started participating back in 2012, goals were based on word count. When I listed my project on my camper’s site this year, I noticed that a variety of ways were included in the project categorization. I’m finally able to list my project as “Poetry” […]

How Stained Glass Can Inspire Your Writing

Okay, I may have used a misleading title. It should read: How My Memories of Stained Glass Classes Inspired My Writing Practices Today and What You Can Learn From the Resulting Metaphor. I was involved in a lot as a kid. Like, A LOT. Ballet, jazz, tap, Irish step dancing, Girl Scouts, swimming, horse back […]

The Next Time You Doubt Your Poetry, Remember This T’ang Poem

I’m currently reading the book Cold Mountain: 100 Poems by the T’ang Poet Han-shan as translated by Burton Watson in 1962 and I came across this gem that I just had to share with you: Here’s Han-shan and friends, down on their luck, without jobs. All they have is their poetry. In this poem, they […]

15 Day Book Blogger Challenge: Day 3

Day #3: Who are your blogging BFFS? I love, love, LOVE these bloggers: Alexandra Corinth – Writer, Book Blogger, Youtuber Fida Islaih – Blogging poet Laylah Nicola – A writer whose life goal is to write 1,076 novels

Being a Writer in Today’s World

I recently read an article on E.B White’s perspective on the role of a writer and it really resonated with me, especially considering the current state of the world. White believes that the writer should be the world’s secretary without becoming angry or losing faith in the world. White’s words echo in my heart: “A writer must […]

How I Organize My #Amwriting Life (FREE Template Included!)

I was originally going to title this post “How to Organize Your #Amwriting Life” but honestly I don’t want to tell anyone what to do in their own writing process. So, I am going to share how I organize my writing life with the hope that you can find even a single gem that might […]

A Poem Published, a Reflection

You may have already seen the posts on my various social media outlets, but my poem “Filial Prodigal” has been published through the Christian online magazine ALTARWORK. Now, there’s something surprising about the previous sentence; at least, it was surprising to me. I never thought I would be a published Christian writer. Only a few […]

On Calling Myself a Writer

I was very skittish about calling myself a Writer for many years. I have been writing for ten years, and the title of Writer seemed to remain elusive, as if I had to wait on someone to bestow it upon me. I also hear about a lot of writers who are also skittish about attributing […]

On Being an Aspiring Writer

From social media to overheard conversions to even people I know, I hear the phrase “I am an aspiring writer.” Every time I hear this phrase, I pause. What does it mean to be an aspiring writer? This is in no way meant to insult those who choose to label themselves as such. I understand […]