On October 26, 2017, I found out that I was the RUNNER UP for the 2017 Over the Edge New Writer of the Year Award (Poetry). I am beyond thankful and honored to be selected from a group of over 300 submissions.

That same day I found out that I was accepted for an Individual Grant from The Arts Partnership in Fargo, ND. I am one of thirteen grantees, and the first writer to be accepted for this grant. I will be moving into my new studio space on Saturday, November 18, which is bittersweet. My new space is beautiful and I will be surrounded by other artists, but leaving my current space is difficult. It is starting to feel like home (and I can afford it!), but hopefully the transition will be fast and easy. If anyone knows me, though, you know that I do take some time to become accustomed to new surroundings.

A week later, on Thursday, November 2, I participated in a very lively spoken word poetry reading and open mic. I have become a regular reader at this monthly event, and this time was no different – I was among some amazing poets, speakers, and performers. Each of us has a story, and each of us has the ability to share it.

On Friday, November 3, at about 8pm, my phone buzzed with a notification. “World Poetry Open Mic is live now!” was the subject. I had to participate. For the previous several weeks I had been listening to podcasts of open mic nights and felt that the face-to-face readings were not going to happen as often as virtual open mics. So I logged in, found a slot, and shared my Runner-Up-Award-Winning poem with however many listeners there were that night.

Here’s the link to the reading.

I put my portion on SoundCloud – here is the link to the World Poetry Open Mic page.