Was up at midnight doomscrolling
so naturally, today I had to process it by writing a poem
Instead of doomscrolling, I will
make a fresh pot of coffee, donate my
money or my time,
make a recipe from a country I’ve never
been. I will wave to a neighbor, open a
book, turn on good music, write a new poem,
write a letter to my local rep.
I will take a shower or take a walk, buy a book
about compassion for children I love,
make a list of all of the ways we can share
our privilege.
Instead of doom scrolling, I will dance or sing
or laugh out loud, will remind myself that
in every story ever written since the beginning
of time, kindness has eventually won.
Last week was World Poetry Day and I wrote down some thoughts about it.
A lot of people (myself included) were first introduced to poetry as something that was complicated to read and difficult to interpret, something that felt elusive and exclusive and meant to sit on a shelf to be read and discussed by academics. That the more you didn’t understand it, the better it probably was. That poetry, most definitely, was something not meant for everybody.
I am so grateful for the people who showed me that wasn’t the case. For poets themselves and for teachers who taught that it could be something different.
I do not want my daughter to only read poems written by old men who lived hundreds of years ago, poems about their lives and odysseys or their isolation or self discoveries or their walks in the woods. I want her to know that poetry is important when it is about our lives too- when it is about everyday people, when it is about and by women- about relationships and bodies and female friendship and boredom and longing and loneliness in our own lives, in the here and now.
I believe that poetry can be life altering, can make us feel seen and heard and connected to the universal experience of being human. That it can put into words things you feel but haven’t been able to express otherwise. That it can change your perspective, provide a bridge for you to tell someone else what they mean to you. That it can help you to get to know yourself better, help to find beauty in what you previously thought was only messy and hard.
At least that’s what it’s done for me.
Lastly, one of the unexpected joys of announcing a book was learning from this community about so many amazing neighborhood bookstores. Leave a comment or send me a message letting me know your favorite independent bookshop and I’ll highlight it on instagram. On a personal mission to support them all!
Same comes out in October 2025 which feels far away, but the very best way to support a new author is to pre-order the book. Pre-orders let a publisher know that readers are interested and it helps to determine if and where an author is able to show up for in-person events.
And…if you want to see me in person on book tour, the best thing for you to do is to ask your local bookstore about it! The more people who ask, the more likely they are to invite an author to speak.