How I Became A Self Published Author
It was then I knew
I fell in love with creative writing when I was in elementary school. It was in 4th grade when my passion for writing took root and the following years watered my new love. I wrote a short story that astonished my favorite teacher Mrs.Allen. At the time I didn’t pay her excitement much mind. I recall her asking me if I really wrote the story of a shipwrecked bedouin princess. She marveled at the details and references to a culture that mirrored my own at the time. I remember showing her the rough draft, the places where I crossed out sentences, eraser marks from areas I couldn’t fully erase with my #2 pencil, and my doodles of the character I brought to life with vivid imagery. I was convinced in my mind that this was my calling. I wonder what happened?
Be practical
Oh, how I have grown to dislike that word when it’s been used to discourage artists from their true passions. The dictionary gives us the following definition for the word :(of an idea, plan, or method) likely to succeed or be effective in real circumstances; feasible.
ex: “being an artist is not a practical career choice right now”
Can you imagine being told this about your true love and passion? I truly believe that children are more intuitively aligned with their passions from the get-go. The truth is we know what we like a majority of the time. You can see it in what we spend the most time on. We nurture that passion by dedicating time and effort to it, even if it may not seem practical to an outsider looking in. I never lost my love for writing, in fact, I was filling composition book after another with drawings, poetry, and stories. I clearly remember trying out for my middle school's poetry slam. It was in 7th grade that I decided to start practicing spoken word poetry. It was in practicing my poem line for line that I began to find my voice. My voice held so much power. My voice echoed the love, joy, and hope that coursed through my bloodline. When I spoke I wasn’t just speaking for myself, I was channeling my ancestors.
Speak
My country is often times referred to as the nation of poets. Somalia has a rich oral tradition that has been passed down from generation to generation in many forms, the most common being poetry. My mom would recite poetry to me often singing the words in what is known as Gabay in Somali. Her Gabay’s were motivating and served as songs of praise and encouragement meant to inspire us to do our best. I want to carry that with me as I use my own poetry to heal, elevate, and empower the collective and youth to become agents of change in their communities. As a longtime Metro- Atlanta resident I’ve experienced firsthand and have seen the healing that occurs in my community when creatives collaborate to empower revolutionary change through their art.
Ms.Muse Poetry Collection
Ms.Muse is an intimate introspective journey inside the mind of a transient being in healing. Ms.Muse is my first and certainly not my last poetry collection. Published on the 23rd day of January I brought one of my visions to life. I did this using Amazon KDP. Kindle Direct Publishing is a way for budding authors to self-publish ebooks for FREE, yes you read that correctly for free. I am ecstatic to share that I can finally cross becoming a published poet off my bucket list and now you can too. I would be honored if you could support my journey as a newly published poet by checking out my poetry collection on Amazon. I will provide all the links to my works below.
©HajiThePoet
A Word From The Author
Thank you so much tribe for taking the time to read my article. I am deeply honored that you have chosen to follow my introspective journey as a transient being in healing. Much love and light!
Ms.Muse Poetry Collection
