Two pieces: “Splitting the Family Tree” and “A Lesson in Direction” have been chosen for publication in The Laurel Review, issue 51.1.
Psyched to get some new work out to you guys soon! xoxo.
publication
Three Poems
up at Cabildo Quarterly!
One Poem
“Gauging Time” published in Fearsome Critters, a new millennial arts journal!
Massive thanks to the editors for selecting my work and to my talented friend Korbin on the layout!
Chapbook #2!
Over the moon to announce that my new chapbook manuscript has been accepted for publication and will be forthcoming from Dancing Girl Press in August 2018! I really can’t believe I’ll soon have a second book in the world.
I’ll keep you guys posted as we move through the process.
Hoping everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday! Right now, I’m grateful for the persistence of this dream and all the rejections that brought me to this moment. Never, ever give up on what you love.
Always,
Chapbook Available for Pre-Order!
Beyond excited to announce that my chapbook, Next to Everything that is Breakable, is now officially available for pre-order from Finishing Line Press. Check it out at the link below!
Pre-order the chapbook by clicking here.
Chapbook Announcement!
Still in disbelief that this is happening, but I’m thrilled to announce my manuscript was recently accepted for publication! To those that supported me, believed in me, and most of all, who pushed me: I am indebted to you. This has been my dream. How do I even put it all into words…
Details will be announced soon!
One Sentence Poems
Happy news to share! My poem, “Truth Be Told, It’s Inevitable” was accepted for publication and can be found online at One Sentence Poems.
Check it out here: “Truth Be Told, It’s Inevitable”
Lucky to have stumbled across this journal and that they took a chance on me to give this work a home.
A Year in Review
Remember that bucket list I had for 2016? Gotta be honest here, I’ve been crushing it.
*At the end of this year, I will have gone on four international trips:
-I took my mom on vacation to the Dominican Republic, something I’ve always wanted to do.
-I’d been waiting to see South America for a long time, so I finally bought a ticket to Peru and Bolivia in July for travel that same month. (Which was a little crazy, yes.)
-I had yet to explore a new country with my boyfriend, so we booked a trip to Iceland in October.
– In less than a week, I’m heading to Thailand and then South Korea.
-I also traveled to Minnesota, Georgia, Delaware, and Illinois, among other places.
* This year I got serious about my poetry and started submitting my work, and it paid off:
-So far, I have had over 15 poems published in anthologies, literary magazines, and journals!
-I won first place at the 2016 Sigma Tau Delta International Convention for my collection.
-I had essays in Thought Catalog & Odyssey Online.
-I read with the Pittsburgh Poetry Roadshow & Voices From the Attic launch party.
-I celebrated my first year of blogging!
1st place!
Presenting.
But, 2016 wasn’t all smooth. I also had some scary stuff happen with my health.
*I had a pacemaker put in, but was determined to keep running and I finished:
-Pittsburgh 5k
-GNC Liberty Mile
I made this list not to be conceited, or talk about how great my life is (trust me- it isn’t always!) but because I’m incredibly proud of my accomplishments this year and have worked really hard to get to this point. It’s taken sacrifice, hard work, and admittedly, a couple breakdowns, but I’m so happy with where I’ve arrived.
I’m a big believer in being proud of your achievements, because why shouldn’t we be? If we don’t, who will? You’ve worked your ass off. Celebrate your victories. Don’t let jealousy in. Don’t be bitter. Don’t worry about coming off as “bragging.” Uplift each other. Support each other. You traveled to a new country? I wanna see! You committed to a healthier lifestyle? That’s awesome! You graduated? Great work! Go ahead & show it off. I’m proud of you.
For those of you feeling stuck: I was there. I promise if you focus on the things you love and make them a priority, they will become your reality. I stopped putting my dreams off this year, and look at what happened. 2017 can be your year. Go get ’em.
P.S. Happy holidays everyone!
I’ll check back in a couple weeks when I’m back in the States.
Distortion
Happy National Poetry Day! ♥
I was drawn to writing ever since I could remember. I fell in love with words, with stories inside books, with the way the pen meets the paper. And then, for five years, I lost that. I stopped creating art. I stopped listening to my voice. I didn’t even recognize it. I am so glad that I found my way back.
To celebrate today, here’s a look at the first poem I ever got published:
DISTORTION
Windowed your split view,
Like the exterior of my conversation with vodka-
My words, tumbling from strawberry chapstick lips
“I wouldn’t lie to you, I swear.”
You search through limbed teeth just in case,
Not believing reassurance I found in the shot glass.
Then, rake up my tongue because it’s keeping hidden truth.
My tonsils become the rough bark of our argument-and there!
Hit realization, by eventually looking out from inside your living room:
I bear no fruit; aging and losing branches.
Stepping outside like I always knew you would,
disgust feeding that chainsaw hypocrisy,
You cut down the divided tree of my naïve mouth.
White lies don’t shed to be forgiven.
This poem was published in Issue 2 of The Blue Route when I was a freshman in college, circa 2009. (WOW!) See it in print here.
And P.S. It is funny how life gets distorted, isn’t it? Our paths twist, people in our lives mislead us. The view we had can end up being so inaccurate from where we currently stand. Learn to morph, rise after buckling at the knees, speak through the garbled noise. Remember that pivots are necessary. Remember to stay true.
Publication Updates
Hi y’all, I have great news to share!
Two articles have been published this week.
Check out a past blog post that made it into Thought Catalog here.
And read on to discover What Keeps Us, published on Odyssey Online. I’ll be posting weekly articles there as well. Please be sure to comment and share! I’d love to hear from you.
Thanks for following! Stay tuned for what I have up my sleeve for next time;)
from this side of the sun 