My poem “Thoughts from a Middling Poet” was published in The Brave Issue of Body Talk zine. This zine explored the various ways one can be brave and what bravery meant to them. My piece explores the insecurities I feel at times as a writer. Like many artists, there is often the nagging doubt of whether your art is good enough. Imposter syndrome wields its ugly head and you wonder if you are a fraud and you wonder if you’re really talented or you’ve tricked everyone into believing you are good when you’re not (or maybe that’s just me?!).

What’s so brave about art even if you are a middling artist, though? Well, you can rest easy because you’re not doing it for the fame or the moolah (if someone knows where the giant mountain of poet cash is, DM me stat!). You are writing and creating vulnerability solely for the sake of art! That’s amazing! No one is getting rich off of passion projects, indie zines, underground writing, esoteric art and music. We’re all doing it because we have a passion, a message, and a drive to share them with the world!

You can check out the Brave Issue (along with Body Talk’s other pieces and zines) here: https://shopbodytalk.myshopify.com/products/body-talk-the-brave-issue-digital

I’m participating in an online reading with Garden Party Collective November 11th 8 pm EST! I’ll be reading from my unpublished chapbook Ain’t to Lie: I’m Bi, Bi, Bi which was a finalist in this year’s annual chapbook contest. I really enjoyed last year’s reading and am exciting to read some poetry I haven’t read to an audience before! To join the online reading and get the link you’ll need to sign up here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSepMcjf4TuNexDXZos1OIHWO-uT8OFFSYXVY2RKlI9hqfIidA/viewform