All Writers Have to Start Somewhere: Some Works That Have Inspired Me

As a poet and budding fiction writer, one of the biggest sources of inspiration for me have been the works of others. New writers often learn from the expertise of experienced writers. They often study their work and mimic their writing before finding their voice and what works for them. Many of my early poetry pieces were inspired by youth spoken word poets - many of which were young women speaking on themes such as gendered violence, sexual assault, body dysmorphia, eating disorders, and much more. My later work was inspired by outspoken poets who I encountered throughout my undergraduate years such as Torrin A. Greathouse, Danez Smith, Nicole Santalucia, and more. Now in my MFA studies I am inspired by poets like Linda McCarriston and Jordan Perez. My work has grown with each poet I have encountered and has taken on more of my own voice in that time. While I am still figuring out what I want to write and how to best achieve my goals, some of the writers who inspire me can be found on my About page here. I hope to give my readers the same feelings these poets and writers gave me while reading their work.