Finding Poetry, Finding Me explores through poetry and art the world around you and the relationships you have with yourselves and others. What inspired this collection of poetry for you and why was it important to share with the world?

This collection of poetry was inspired by a drive to create. During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I had the privilege to support approximately 35 authors on their book publishing journeys and realized through this process that I, too, had a story to share. I tossed and turned for months on end about what I wanted to work on and what I wanted my contribution to the literary space to be. Concurrently, I was spending time weekly with a writing group working on honing my craft, and in this space, I was often working on prose or poetry. Ultimately, a large amount of the poems in this collection were written during NANOWRIMO 2022 or just after. I see this collection as the product of a myriad of my life experiences to this point. I truly believe that at the core, we all have a story to share, and I really felt compelled to share mine in the hopes that it would empower someone else to share theirs.

What were some ideas that were important for you to share in this collection of poetry?

One of the most important things I have learned while learning about the power of poetry is to stop and use my five senses. A lot of my work revolves around the fact that I often struggle to stay present in the moment and stopping to realize that was actually incredibly empowering. It allowed me to be able to write about moments of my life, both positive and negative, with a lens of realism and truth. I hope to convey to readers that they are not alone, that despite horrible things that are going on in our world there is still beauty, and that sometimes just picking up a pen and writing can be the answer that our brain, body, and soul are crying out for.

The artwork and poetry appear to be harmoniously integrated with each other. I am curious to know if the artwork was specifically created to complement the poetry or if it was a natural fit. Would you be able to elaborate on the relationship between the artwork and poetry, and about their creation process?

I decided I wanted to add simple visuals to some of the poems to add another entrance point for my readers and to enhance the way we think about and respond to poetry. My publisher and I worked together over several months to find illustrators and illustrations that worked with certain poems. I couldn’t be happier with how it all turned out.

What is the next book you are working on, and when can your fans expect it to be out?

Currently, I am still writing poetry as often as I can, but I have also been working on some playwriting since the publishing of Finding Poetry, Finding Me. I hope to publish a second poetry collection, but it likely won’t be before 2025 as I spend the next year focused on marketing, supporting, and speaking about this current collection. I love writing poetry and writing in general, and I hope I have the privilege to work on another book soon.

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