Today we’d like to introduce you to Ms.PoeticSoul.
Hi Ms.PoeticSoul, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
At a young age, I found comfort in a pen and paper, placing my trust in composition books to hold the deepest parts of me. My poetry initially started as vented journaling. When I was 12 years old, I wrote my first poem entitled “Walk through Life” while grieving three losses that occurred within the same weekend. It brought me comfort being able to release and express myself while encouraging myself simultaneously. This was the very first poem I ever memorized and performed.
Surprisingly, I can still reference and depend on that poem to get me through life’s obstacles today.
Writing helped me find strength when I felt I had none. However, I wouldn’t have had the courage to share that I write poetry if it wasn’t for my late friend LaKyra, who found my journal and saw it as a gift that needed to be shared with the world.
At the age of 13, my mother signed me up to share my poem at our church, unwilling at first but I proceeded to recite it with sweaty palms and my heart beating out my chest.
As the words poured out of my mouth the feelings of nervousness subsided and at that moment, I knew this was my purpose.
During this time, I attended a few youth open mics, performing once in college before taking an extended break and stepping into motherhood.
I returned to the stage in January 2018 as an adult eventually accepting my first featured performance as Ms.PoeticSoul.
Ultimately, I made the decision to pursue my passion when I overcame the need for acceptance in my craft and stage fright.
On this pursuit, I discovered what gave me fulfillment in life. By the end of 2018, I made the challenging decision to leave corporate America to do poetry and spoken word full time.
Since then, I’ve performed nationally, internationally virtually, and in person, at historically black universities, youth seminars, women conferences, open mics, and more.
On November 2, 2019, I released my first book entitled “The Conscious Thoughts Of a Poetic Mind” which is more than a collection of poetry but rather a daily reference.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe bumps in the road are necessary and serve great purpose. At a young age, I diagnosed with ADHD which hindered me from completing personal assignments and scheduled tasks.
I found myself becoming distracted at times to the point of accomplishing absolutely nothing. The impulsivity, overwhelming anxiety, and overthinking makes it easy for me to become sidetracked. Ultimately, I managed to start everything yet I would complete nothing.
Although, this is an ongoing battle I’ve found that when I want to complete something bad enough, persistence, guidance, and dedication aids me in accomplishing my goals on this journey.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As a creative, I wear many hats. I’m a poet, spoken word artist, mentor, motivational speaker, writer, visual artist, and self-published author. I’m known to provide Nourishment for the Mind and Food for the Soul ™” with a purpose to encourage, empower, inspire, and teach through my poetry and spoken word. In other words, I utilize my platform and gifts to help others by sharing my journey, personal experiences, global issues, knowledge, and research in my poetry to shed light on various topics, encourage self-reflection, promote growth, healing, and ultimately inform the public. In short, I drop gems for others to grab and add them to their crown. “That art hits different when it’s created with purpose,” and that is what I believe sets me apart. I intentionally act on my purpose and share my words to encourage others to do the same.
I’m most proud of my book, The Conscious Thoughts of a Poetic Mind. I wrote this collection of poetry because I needed it. These poems or journeys as they are referred to in my book share experiences, present problems, solutions, and guide you through situations to help you grow through them. It’s a book that you utilize daily, that’s why I call it a daily reference! It is not a book you read once and put back on a shelf but one that you can open up every day for a message for any emotion you are feeling. As our awareness increases, messages will resonate differently and you will continuously find purpose in the pages of The Conscious Thoughts Of a Poetic Mind. Due to our awareness increasing every day, messages will resonate differently therefore you will always find purpose in the pages of The Conscious Thoughts Of a Poetic Mind.
What was your favorite childhood memory?
One of my favorite childhood memories is of my late friend LaKyra Cooper. It was the summer before I turned 13 and I decided to invite her to my uncle’s birthday celebration. In the midst of the party, she asked to lay down due to a headache. I led her to my room where she could rest and escape from the noise of the party.
As the guest began to leave, I went up to check on her.
I froze in my tracks when I saw my writing journal in her hand that was hidden under my pillow. She instantly stood up and ran to embrace me, squeezing me tightly as tears rolled down her face and dripped onto my shoulder. I hugged her back with so many emotions going through my head from happiness that she was up and possibly feeling better, to anger and embarrassment that she may have read it.
Moments later she pulled back from the embrace and stared at me what felt like forever.
“Do you know what this is?” She asked.
As she puts the book in my hands. I stood with a blank look of confusion.
“This is healing! This is a gift! I apologize for invading your privacy and I hope you can forgive me but I need you to know that you can’t be selfish with these words because the world needs them.”
She went on to tell me what she was going through and how the poem “Walk Through Life.” not only gave her a new perspective but also enabled her to appreciate the problems she was currently facing.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@mspoeticsoul.com
- Website: www.MsPoeticSoul.com
- Instagram: @MsPoeticSoul
- Facebook: Facebook.com/MsPoeticSoul
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/channel/UCNYdK-TFKCb6rxHmZtiBg5g
- Other: https://linktr.ee/mspoeticsoul
