This will be one of the poems that will be in my upcoming book, Verses of Naoetry... Tell me what you think?

Today centers contact around…Influences- Pillars, Pioneers, and or Poets - In honor of National Poetry Month as it comes to a close- Who are some of the Pillars, Pioneers, or Poets that have resonated with you throughout your poetic journey. Or what influences have shaped the poet that you are today. A small trace. A mark left without explanation. What you offer can be brief. A line. An image. An acknowledgment. Leave it where attention happened to land. Here's my offering: My grandmother heavily influenced the activism in my poems especially growing up in the jim crow/civil rights era. And of course reading the works of : Maya Angelou, Nikki Giovanni, James Baldwin and Langston Hughes at an early age because my grandmother was also a school teacher. Hip-hop help me mold the lyrisim/ and lyrical tools in my writing Watching Def Poetry Jam, Battle Rap, and other poetry platforms as well and seeing how they commanded the stage.

Today centers contact around… Healing Out loud In honor of National Poetry Month: How did the first time you shared your poetry make you feel ? A small trace. A mark left without explanation. What you offer can be brief. A line. An image. An acknowledgment. Leave it where attention happened to land. My offering; I was nervous at first but when I got on stage spirit took over and spoke through me. I felt free and once I got a taste of the stage I knew right then and there that I fell in love with poetry. The more stages I hit the deeper that love got. Poetry became more that just my passion , it became my purpose.

4/25/26 EDIT: While our beloved cofounder is recuperating, ❤️‍🩹 continue to reach out to me for anything. Don’t be fooled by the fact that since @Angella Kim-Mack is posting her prompts, that she has returned in an official “working” capacity 🤭😏. 😌 4/20/26 Quick update: Angel Kim is in the hospital for a few days. I’ve stepped in while she recovers so reach out to me if you need anything. Stay Zen. — Miss Lady