Embrace is Two!

Today marks the second anniversary of Embrace. It’s the second book in my Soul-Seeker Collection series which includes three poetry books, which I started writing in 2020.

I have shared my poetry writing journey previously, and you can read about it here.

As a reminder, the first book, Embody, is an exploration of what was happening to me at the time I wrote it. It was personal and specific to my healing. Embrace is about ebbs and flows and cycles. I was in a stage of flux at the time, moving from South Carolina to Idaho, and it made me reflect on transitions. Embolden, the third book, is about how to move forward in a new way, how to make the best out of my circumstances, and how to harness our connection to the universe.

Over roughly a year, I wrote hundreds of poems. The three books in the Soul-Seeker Collection consist of nearly 300 poems.

I have written about Embody and Embolden, and today I am focusing on Embrace. It is about cycles and is inspired by astrology and Buddhist life stages, but not directly linked to them. Embrace is divided into twelve chapters based on the twelve stages in the Wheel of Life and twelve signs in the zodiac. The poems are organized in such a way that the beginning is about the start of cycles and the end is about completion. Cycles inspired me because life is about ebbs and flows and nothing is permanent.

Embrace is about understanding that nothing lasts forever. We're in cycles from birth to death. There's constant change and transition, from our simple day-to-day where night turns to day and back. Embrace was about how I came to terms with this, how I accepted and made sense that change is permanent.

Because I wrote most of the poems while I was moving, I felt untethered; I was neither here nor there. I didn't feel settled. My things were packed up, I didn’t have access to them, and I didn’t have a stable place to sleep. I felt adrift.

At the same time, I forgot about what I owned and realized I didn't need as much as I had. It showed me how adaptable I am. It was up to me to make my life as limited or as expansive as I wanted.

One of the reasons the book is titled Embrace is that during this time of transition, I wrote a lot of poetry, and I began to embrace myself as a poet. I started working on my first novel, Lonely Dove, in 2018 and since then, I’ve considered myself a writer and novelist, but it took me a while to accept I was writing poetry. The poems for both Embody and Embrace came from an emotional journey, but I was at different places with each book.

The poems for Embody seemed to come out of nowhere—I had no idea what was happening and how they were coming to me. I was experiencing healing and words came through me but I didn't understand how or why.

By the time I wrote the poems for Embrace, I had accepted I was writing poetry, and I was exploring my voice as a poet, which was different from my voice as a novelist. I thought, “Oh wow! I am writing poetry. I’m doing this. I can call myself a poet.”

I began to share some poems on social media. My intention then was to get comfortable with sharing my writing, reasoning that I was eventually going to share a novel, and so it seemed like a logical step. I still didn't imagine I was going to publish a series of poetry books.

The publishing portion emerged organically. I was open to allowing the universe to direct me. I felt a calling to write poetry and I allowed it to happen. I had a conversation with Karen Weaver, my publisher, although back then she wasn’t. She suggested publishing, and it felt good to me so I said, “Yes, I'm gonna do this. I am going to write and publish poetry.”

I am grateful I did because it allowed for my journey to come together as it has.

We all face moments of discomfort, of insecurity, and of fear. It takes courage to take the next step. I had to gain the courage to commit to writing poetry and then commit to publishing it. It was scary. I felt extremely vulnerable, especially to share poetry because it is personal. I share what I'm going through, what I’m feeling, and how I see the world. I was afraid of judgment and criticism.

And, it came. One of the worst reviews I received was from someone who said my poems were random words I had put together. At first, I was disheartened, but then I realized that writing is exactly that. Writing is about putting words together, so I took it in stride.

Criticism and hurtful comments can only hurt if we allow it. People are entitled to their opinions but that shouldn’t stop us. The truth is, most of the comments and feedback I’ve received have been positive. My poetry books have won, not just one, but multiple awards. It’s hard though, in the face of criticism, not to focus on the negative. I have to remind myself of my achievements and appreciate them. I stand in my passion, identity, and integrity.

I encourage you to explore your talents and interests. If something is calling to you, write it, speak it, share it. You never know where it's going to lead and what’s going to come of it. I have learned it’s about being open and releasing expectations. That's when the world opens up with possibility.