Today we’d like to introduce you to Kim Morris-Burse.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
In a small farming community in southeast Arkansas in the town of Elaine is where I grew up. There wasn’t much to do, so we had to be creative when it came to extracurricular activities. When I wasn’t playing with cousins, I could be found in a corner somewhere reading. I started writing stories around the age of eleven. My grandfather would tell me these fascinating stories. He had this baritone voice in which he sang and created voices of the characters in his stories. I started writing stories to emulate the ones he told me. As I grew older, I began to write poetry. My seventh-grade English teacher, Mrs. Franklin, encouraged me and read everything I wrote. My ninth-grade English teacher, Mrs. Larry, introduced me to African American authors and poets that I had never heard of, and from that moment on, I was sure I wanted to be a writer when I grew up. Life is funny, and often what we plan doesn’t go the way we planned. Life and family took me away from writing; however, years later, I began to feel this constant nudge to write again. In 2013, I sent a manuscript to a small publishing company. They signed me to a contract, and in the spring of 2014, my first book, Tears I Shed, was published. Under the tutelage of that company, I wrote the sequel to Tears I Shed; however, soon after, we parted ways. It was a bittersweet experience but forced me to research and learn about self-publishing because the love of writing was engrained in me. Since then, I have self-published two books, Slipping in the Darkness and my latest release Just Emotions. Currently, I’m working on project with my oldest grandson Jay whom I raised. This book is about the joy of becoming a grandmother and will chronicle our tight bond, our comedic moments, and his basketball journey from high school to college and how he dealt with the career-ending injury.
My love for reading and writing has pushed me to form a foundation named JAAE, which is the first letter of each of my grandparents’ name. Through my foundation, I have given away over 200 free books to children in my hometown. This fall I plan to adopt a classroom. Each year I want to grow and be able to do more and more because of those who encouraged and believed in me.
I married to my husband Keith. Between us, we have five children and 12 grandchildren. I am a proud and active member of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. In my spare time, I also like to repurpose furniture and paint abstract art.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The road has been far from smooth. I was a teenage mother and had to focus on raising my son. I did attend junior college but dropped out due to lack of resources. It wasn’t easy being the mother of one, and adding two more children as a single parent didn’t help my situation, but I kept pushing. I refused to give up. Later on, I re-enrolled in college. I took the scenic route, but in 2001, I graduated from Arkansas State University with a degree in English.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m an author of four books which are available for purchase on Amazon. I’ve written a short story, published a book of poetry as well as had a poem published in a journal. I am most proud of my books because I remember being told by a certain person that I wouldn’t amount to anything. I think what sets me apart from others is that I write fictional stories about real life, stories that are relatable and change the readers’ emotions. Another thing that I love children and want all of them to succeed. I am always claiming someone’s child as my own. I have more godchildren than I do biological children.
Have you learned any interesting or important lessons due to the Covid-19 Crisis?
The things I have learned is to make the most of each day, make sure your loved ones know how much you love them, and spend as much time with them as possible because you can be here today and gone today.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.kamorris870.wixsite.com/kimbook
- Instagram: @poetdiva1
- Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/kimberly.a.morris.1
- Twitter: @poetdiva1
