Straight Poetry

I know it's not the most popular form of writing, but I can't help myself. I simply don't feel right if I am not writing poetry and I have a need to share what I write. The thing is, I don't publish my poetry because I think I'm someone special, someone who needs to be heard. It's actually the opposite. I write because it heals me. Everything else that I do in my life is made possible through my poetry. I want to show everyone that you don't have to be someone special to be a poet. You just have to write. These books are great sources of pride and I hope that, by sharing, you may find something you need, just like I did writing them.

The Butterfly Effect

The Butterfly Effect has a dual purpose. It is both an example of my art and my intellectual curiosity. My thought-experiment-turned-book consists of 100 poems. Each poem starts with the last word of the poem before it. In this way, everything is connected. This mimics the scientific principle of the butterfly effect, which states that everything is connected, even something as small as a flap of a butterfly's wings. Some of these poems are connected only by a single word, covering completely different topics with completely different rhyme schemes. This book is dedicated to my grandparents, my mom's parents, Mom Mom and Buddy. They were always so supportive of my writing. It was so much fun to tackle this project, even though it was difficult.

No Matter Where You've Been:

Poems and Pictures to Start a Conversation with God

A child once asked me how she could talk to God if she didn't know any prayers. The truth is, I don't remember a time before I knew any prayers, but I also don't remember a time when I didn't feel comfortable just talking to God. This book is a collection of prayers that I've written for my church community at Salem UCC in Doylestown, PA. These aren't just prayers for Christians. They are poems that I hope will connect as many people as possible with God. I also included pictures that I've taken, close to home and on some of my most amazing adventures. Pictures from Iceland and Greece are alongside more local wonders, like pictures from Longwood Gardens and the Grounds for Sculpture in New Jersey as well as beauty I noticed in my own backyard.

My Diary Rhymes

This book is just what it sounds like: a selection of poetry from my first poems at age 11 to the poems I write now at age 27. Don't worry, I don't just drop you into 16 years of poetry with no guide. I split this project into five sections, based on my age and what was going on in my life. We start with the Early Years, spanning from 11 to 14, when I was still discovering poetry and wrote mostly in school. Next comes the Middle Ages, from 15 to 17, my high school years, when I was still finding myself as a poet. The next section, the Dark Ages, from 18 to 21, represent the hardest years of my life. I was struggling the most with my mental health and my poetry became my oasis. I honestly don't know how I would have made it without poetry. The Renaissance, ages 22 to 24, represents a time of me coming into my own as a poet. Finally, the Age of Enlightenment, from age 25 to now, represents the best poetry I've ever written.