#NaPoWriMo Day 11~The Swimming Hole

The Swimming Hole Whispering pines spoke sacred vows As you entered into my valley Inevitable, the way water flows Feet entwined, gingerly at first The slow slide the Swift plunge Limbs spread wide Ceaselessly searching the divinity of desire your … Continue reading

Tuesday Talent ~ Sarah S Williams- The Other Side of Up

I met Sarah on the Writer’s Cafe. I fell instantaneously and hard for her poetry.Many times it felt as though she’d crawled inside my head and plucked out a feeling I knew intimately. She graciously read and reviewed my work in exchange and her advice has been invaluable. So of course I wanted to feature her in Tuesday Talent. And thankfully she agreed.

Sarah Williams is an American poet living on the Central Coast of California.  She graduated from the California State University of Fresno’s English Program with a focus on literature and poetry.  Her poetry has been published in various online and print journals, including the Boston Literary Review, The Verse, The Fifth King Press, The Paper Bag Press, Sympathetic Souls Poetry Journal, etc.  Additionally, her first collection of poetry entitled “The Other Side of Up“, printed by Within the Mirror Literary Press, is available in print through all online and brick and mortar retailers.

TT-Sarah low res

Who inspires Sarah

Poetically, I have been inspired by many different writers through the years.  If I had to choose two poets who have most inspired my own work, I would have to say Sylvia Plath and Allen Ginsberg.  Both of these amazing talents were what I consider “before their time”.  They pushed the envelope of modern poetry and paved the way for writers like myself to enjoy the freedom of poetic expression.

 

What Sarah does

I would say that first and foremost I am a poet.  I live the life of a poet and see the world through the eyes of a poet.  However, as most poets know, it can be difficult to “pay the bills” through poetry alone, so I am also a professional freelance editor and ghostwriter.  I specialize in novels, screenplays and autobiographies, and the majority of my clients have gone on to publication, or in the case of their film work, options on their material.

 

Additionally, I am also heavily involved in showing horses, and am active in the NRHA and IAHA/USEF circuits in Reining and Reined Cowhorse.

 

What Sarah Does best

I would like to think that what I do best is write.  I certainly feel most at home when I am indulging my poetic inspirations, whether that is sitting in front of my laptop or on a bench by the ocean scribbling in a notebook.

 

What other profession Sarah would like to attempt

Writing takes up most of my time and creative energy, but if I had to choose another profession that I would like to pursue it would probably be getting in to the publishing end of the literary world.  I think it would be wonderful to be the person who is able to give a fledgling talent their first break in the industry, because I know how difficult it is to find a press or publishing house that is willing to take a chance on a new writer/poet.

 

I have also always been extremely interested in photography.  Next to writing out my creative dreams and aspirations, photographing them in the tangible world is probably the next best thing.

 

What turns Sarah on creatively, spiritually or emotionally

I like to ask and answer questions.  My writing always has a “deeper meaning” that either questions or makes an assertion as to the way that the world works in terms of how we are all connected.  I love mythology, and I find learning about/researching the way that the world used to work helps me to make connections to how things have evolved and work today.  I suppose that learning in general is what keeps me moving forward in this world, because when we stop asking questions and demanding answers we are no longer growing as spiritual beings.

 

Where to find Sarah

You can learn more about my professional editing and ghostwriting services by visiting my website at www.wellspringwritingservices.webstarts.com .  My poetry collection, “The Other Side of Up“, can easily be found on Amazon.com, and can be ordered through most online and brick and mortar booksellers.

 

Where Sarah got her Talent/Education

I’m not sure that I can answer the question “where did I get my talent”, as that would force me to assert that I have talent.  Talent is a relative term, and thus I will leave it up to my readers to decide whether I am talented or not.  I did, however, get my formal education through the California State University of Fresno’s English Program, which provided me with a fabulous education on style, form, function and overall literary foundation.  Additionally, I have attended numerous workshops and symposiums on poetry, poetic style, modern verse and functional/effective writing.

 

Finally borrowing from Bernard Pivot- If  Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

When the day of my death arrives and I am standing before the One great Creator of my existence, my greatest hope would be to hear that I lived a life of humility and compassion.  I would also love to know that I have touched people emotionally, and that perhaps my name and work will live on beyond my death.

 

Neurodiversity

What would I do, if not write?

Who would I be without words?

 

The sharpness of my pen dissects deeply,

as a scalpel through husk and sinew,

right down to the very crux of it all:

            anima essence,

            cardinal red, as

            oxygenated blood.

 

Thoughts scatter and reform,

no sense in endeavoring to corral them—

for they are wary rabbits in a viridian glade

who only approach when I am most still. 

 

I have given up – completely –

trying to navigate the torturous labyrinth

that is me, laid out in hard corners,

            dead ends, and

            forked pathways.

 

What if I am deranged — afflicted

with some unidentifiable disorder?

 

For my head is so often lurking

in places that others dare not venture—

you think too much, I have been told,

but not everything is as it seems,

 

and I cannot be idle when Phanes’ creation

begs for definition and feverish declaration—

even if my lines do not rival the masters

            or offer any lasting

            significance. 

 

The lacing of my brain must be unusual,

the channels crossed, impulses erratic—

yesterday, I watched a flock of gulls circling,

one flew opposite the others, forging

his own startlingly divergent course.

 

I suppose every species has its variants,

and every variant chooses an individual path.

 

Image: (1) Sarah by DCT (I had a little fun with this one.)

***This is  a regular feature on my blog. Tuesday Talent Interviews are designed to introduce you to a myriad of incredible artisans. Make sure to check out the others. Enjoy!

Weekend ~ 5/31/13~ Chiaroscuro (Poem)

Hmmmm! I had big plans to post a poem yesterday but the day just seemed to run away. I have been writing quite a bit as of late over at the writer’s café. I plan on posting them here from time to time. At least after I have worked out the kinks. So here are yesterday’s words.

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Chiaroscuro

A Poem by DCT ponderings

 

 The curve of our story

Along the soft pads of my toes

Notes scrawled

 

In colors composed

Let me be your canvas

Lay upon me your embrace

 

Saturate me

Show me the hues

The black lines of your art

 

Awash

In Ink of unspoken words

Upon my blank page

 

Truth embedded

Love letters gentle caress

A masterpiece mapped out

 

Upon my white translucent skin

In your darkest ink

Our love painted

 

In outlines of solemn secrets

Inscriptions not yet written

I surrender

 

With every word

Trusting Whispers dyed

Your pen etching

  

Across lazy afternoons

Intertwined fingers dancing

In sunlit shadows upon the floor

 

Blast from This Blogs Past

 

The Weekend Reading List

 

Something Extra

Image:YASMINA ALAOUI and the Words: Are All Mine