Hey there, everyone!
I am so excited to finally be able to post about my first poem that is published in an online literary journal called Mangrove Journal. It’s the official journal put out at the University of Miami and I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be a part of it. Let me tell you how it all came about . . .
Ever since I can remember, I’ve always loved writing. I would write letters to people that I never intended to send. It was my way of expressing my innermost thoughts. I’ve always carried a journal, I was on the yearbook staff in high school, and I had countless notebooks with friends growing up. For some reason, I ventured off into other majors rather than going straight into English, writing or journalism. It wasn’t until my late twenties that I finally admitted to myself that this was the one thing that I was really good at, and the one thing I wanted to pursue.
When I enrolled in the University of Central Florida’s English/Creative Writing program, I signed up for a creative writing class that had one module focusing on poetry. As much as I’ve always loved writing, I’d never really attempted poetry. I felt like it was important for me to step outside of my comfort zone and really try to tackle it. With the help of a fantastic professor, I did well in the poetry module and signed up for two poetry workshops and an independent study in poetry after that semester. I can’t say that I’m the greatest poet who ever lived, but I think for someone who never ventured in that direction, I do pretty well. 😜
This particular poem that was published with Mangrove Journal is one that began as an epic fail. I’d written it as an assignment for class and it earned me a ‘D.’ As a perfectionist, I was devastated and disappointed in myself. I focused on reworking the entire poem and this was the end result. It proves that you can always fix a mistake, and that even if something is awful at first, hard work and dedication can make it great!
I am so incredibly thankful to the editors and everyone involved with the journal for accepting my piece for publication.
You can view the Winter 2017 Online Edition of Mangrove Journal below:
According to Kristin 