What does poetry mean to me?

Poetry is art on paper. Poetry is pure emotion. It is a deeply personal interpretation of how we experience and feel about the world around us.

What can writing poetry teach us about ourselves?

Poetry gives us an unintimidating medium for introspection. There’s no such thing as a bad poem as long as it feels true to its author. Poetry can teach us about the beautiful spectrum of human emotions. We can as easily feel inspired to write a poem about the happiest moment of our life as about our deepest regret.

Who are my favorite poets and why?

My favorite poets are Pablo Neruda, Rumi, Sonia Sanchez, Bob Dylan, and the late great Maya Angelou. Contemporary favorites include Amanda Gorman, Cleo Wade, Naomi Shihab Nye, Rupi Kaur, and Yung Pueblo. I also think musical artists like Lana del Rey, Zach Bryan, Jay Z, Taylor Swift, and Noel Gallagher are poetic geniuses. Poets who explore their inner and outer worlds with curiosity, passion, and courage really resonate with me. When poetry can channel the collective outcry for change, justice, and peace, it becomes a voice for a generation or movement.

What were the first poems I fell in love with?

I think I read ‘The Tyger’ by William Blake about fifty times when I was twelve years old. Even though I couldn’t wrap my head around its deeper meaning, I remember being enamored with the visuals it inspired and how the words danced off your tongue when you read it aloud. I will never forget how the feelings of mystery, awe, fear, and power just leaped off the page at me. That poem stands out because it demonstrates that poetry doesn’t have to be fully understood to make an impact.

As a child, my mother would read “Just So Stories” by Rudyard Kipling and sing me or play her favorite Simon & Garfunkel songs, such as Scarborough Fair / Canticle, The Sound of Silence, and Homeward Bound; I feel like those memories were the beginning of my poetic education.