“I am
a poet
first.”
Q How did you first get published?
A I started sending the manuscript out for If It
Heals at All in 2018. I entered at least half a dozen
contests. In 2020, I received an email from Jacar
Press stating that I did not win their chapbook
contest but they were impressed with my manuscript
and wanted to know if it would be okay to enter it
into their New Voices Series, a series curated by Jaki Shelton Green.
I was upset, but I wasn’t defeated. I still had a chance. One day I was
sitting at my dining room table with my laptop open and I blurted
out, “Am I ever going to get this book published?” A few minutes
later, I received an email from Jacar Press and the subject line read:
“We’d like to publish you.”
Q How/when did you get the idea for If It Heals at All?
A I started the writing of it in 2014 after my mother passed
away. Three years later, I started working with Patricia Spears Jones
through a one-on-one mentorship program offered by Cutthroat
Magazine. This is when the real writing and revising began. I knew
early on that I wanted to center on Black life in Cleveland, which
meant I’d be writing about violence, suffering, illness, friends,
family, and love. I never strayed from that.
Q Is there any form of writing you enjoy more
than others?
A I am a poet first. Poetry is my favorite form of writing.
Q What are you currently working on?
A A novel about a 15-year-old Black girl who becomes a star in
Cleveland’s pedal bike world, along with a full collection of poetry.
Q What are some of the books you’ve enjoyed in the
past year?
A I am currently reading Hanif Abdurraqib’s A Little Devil in
America: Notes in Praise of Black Performance and it is absolutely
gorgeous. I loved Zadie Smith’s Intimations and Danez Smith’s
Homie. I always return to The Carrying by Ada Limon.
Q You directed a literacy-based after-school and
summer program for girls in Cleveland. What was
your proudest accomplishment/greatest take-away from
working with the girls?
A My biggest accomplishment was getting the girls fired up about
reading and writing. I introduced them to books by Black and brown
authors: Angie Thomas, Ibi Zoboi, Fatimah Asghar, and others. We
often drifted from our daily agenda because the girls never wanted
to stop reading. I get emotional just thinking about it.
Q What attracted you to work at
Shaker Library?
A I’ve been a Shaker Heights resident for 11
years and I really wanted to be more connected to
my community and the library itself. I ask myself:
How is it that I’ve been a Shaker Heights resident
for 11 years, I’m a writer, I love books, and I
can count on one hand the number of times I’ve stepped foot
in our library prior to being hired? I believe I can play a role in
making sure this kind of disconnect does not continue for other
community members.
Q What is a favorite part of your job?
A I love that I can meet new people and build relationships.
I look forward to learning from the community and working
together to address issues, and work towards bettering ourselves
and our community.
Q You are currently leading a virtual writing program
for teens called WRD: Write, Read, Discover. What
advice would you give an aspiring poet or author?
A An aspiring poet in East Cleveland recently reached out
to me about this same question. I advised her that she needs to
become an avid reader first. I told her that she has to read a book
twice before she can say she’s read it. If you like Tracy K. Smith’s
work you must read everything she’s written. Memorize some of
her poems. Say them aloud. Reading is like practicing jump shots
before a big basketball game. Like anything else, if you want to
get better at something you have to be serious and you have to
put in the work.
Then you need to find someone you trust to read your work.
Some of my best advice comes from folks who are not writers.
After you’ve received feedback go back and revise. Then, start
looking for journals where you can submit your work if the goal
is to get published.
Q How do you relax?
A During the pandemic I discovered that shooting pool really
relaxes me. It’s one of the few times that my brain actually turns
off and the only thing I’m focused on is making my next shot.
SL
@ Shaker Library
18 SUMMER 2021 | WWW.SHAKER.LIFE
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