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How have your background and experiences informed the themes you explore in your book of poems, Heart Songs for a Fragile Planet?
I’ve been a teacher, a special educator, a nonprofit CEO, a community activist, and in those versions of my life, I've looked at the struggles of women, especially as a black woman. I’m drawn to the idea of unsung heroes. “Ordinary people doing extraordinary things,” which is the motto for one of the organizations that we partnered with when I was in the nonprofit world. This is the background that birthed the ideas of Heart Songs—caring about the general health of the planet and of the people in it. I also want to uplift and inspire transformation and change.
What inspired you to write the poems that appear in your book?
The encouragement to write the poems in the book came from the opportunity and blessing of being able to work with Michelle Berberet and the Georgetown Lombardi Arts and Humanities Program’s Expressive Writing Workshop. It helped me to see the possibility that what I had to say might touch someone else. I've been writing poems for many years, but I never thought of it as enough of a gift to share. Writing in the group of women and men from around the world was enjoyable. As we listened to and encouraged each other, I started thinking, “Well, maybe some of my poems might strike a chord with other people, especially women who have gone through the same ages and stages that I have.”
Were there particular aspects of the Expressive Writing Workshop that have helped with the publishing process?
I have taken other writing classes locally and a memoir writing class with Marita Golden, who is a local, nationally known author. Part of the idea of putting my poems into a book came because other people in these writing groups were publishing their work. The weekly consistency of Michelle’s class, and the fact that when I shared poetry, I got a positive response from a lot of the people in the group was encouraging. Michelle is like a doula or a midwife for our creative tendencies. By creating a safe space to share, she gives confidence to fledgling and inexperienced writers. And what I'm noticing is that—maybe in part because I've put my work into the form of a book—other people in the group are starting to polish, edit, and create books of their own. I'm looking forward to seeing what happens in our group as the creative process helps us to thrive and flourish.
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