Dear readers, I am eternally grateful for all of the support you have shown me over the last year and a half. First, it was my poetry Instagram and debut collection of love poems, Her Favorite Color Was Sunshine Yellow. Then it was my passion project – my nonfiction debut through New Degree Press, PoeticContinue reading “A Note from the Author”
Category Archives: Writing
Teaching Kids to Embrace Poetry
I do not like green eggs and ham. I do not like them, Sam-I-am. Recognize this rhyme? You can find it in Dr. Seuss’s classic Green Eggs and Ham, bound in colorful picture books like the rest of his work. But did you know you can classify the children’s book as poetry? The rhyme scheme,Continue reading “Teaching Kids to Embrace Poetry”
Yes, I Have a Favorite Chapter in My Book
Poetic Potential was one of the biggest passion projects I have ever undertaken. There was something about the mix of science and anecdotes, fact and opinion, that made this book so meaningful to me. Through three sections of healing, empowerment, and activism, I wove my own stories together with others’ and found solace in differentContinue reading “Yes, I Have a Favorite Chapter in My Book”
How Poetry Helped Me Gain Confidence
Like I said in my most recent blog post, it’s important to be honest, so I will be: I originally started posting my poetry online because, as a business student, I knew I had to build an audience for my debut poetry book before it was published, in order to maximize sales. If nobody knowsContinue reading “How Poetry Helped Me Gain Confidence”
The Truth in Poetry: My Story
To describe myself in a nutshell, I am your classic Type-A overthinker. I like things to be just-so, bordering on the line of perfectionism (okay, oftentimes crossing very far over that line). My biggest fear is the unknown – starting as large-scale as the future and as morbid as what happens when we die. Yes,Continue reading “The Truth in Poetry: My Story”
Spotlight: Writers in the Schools (Houston)
In chapter 5 of Poetic Potential: Sparking Change & Empowerment Through Poetry, I touch briefly upon the work that poet Robin Reagler accomplished with a Houston-based nonprofit organization, Writers in the Schools (WITS). Because of the power of their mission and vision, it is more than necessary to highlight what they have accomplished as anContinue reading “Spotlight: Writers in the Schools (Houston)”
Escaping Reality: Thoughts on Poetry & Mental Health
I first started writing poetry to express my emotions about a relationship, my tongue tying in knots every time those words were to be said out loud. This was a trend for many years (and still is!), but once I hit college, I began to branch out more, especially after the release of my firstContinue reading “Escaping Reality: Thoughts on Poetry & Mental Health”
Healing Powers of Poetry
When I was younger, teachers and parents used to emphasize the power of words. “If you don’t have something nice to say, don’t say anything at all” was a common saying. “Words can hurt” was another simpler version. As kids, we were taught that words were powerful, yes, but in a negative way. The potentialContinue reading “Healing Powers of Poetry”
Poetry’s Unexpected Savior: Social Media
Books and social media – the two seem antithetical, an unlikely pairing. Whereas I spent my entire childhood devouring books like candy, kids nowadays grow up on iPads and phone apps. It seems like a myth to say that social media contributed to the revival of poetry’s popularity and readership, but it is the truth.Continue reading “Poetry’s Unexpected Savior: Social Media”
My Self-Publishing Journey as a Poet
Before the coronavirus pandemic hit in the spring of 2020, I didn’t even know that self-publishing existed. I lived in a world where authors had agents, where traditional publishing was borderline impossible unless you were famous or you had a brilliant, new idea, and where rejection after rejection after rejection was the norm. I don’tContinue reading “My Self-Publishing Journey as a Poet”
Amanda Karch 