Grade: 10

Bio: Alana likes drawing and painting, aerial silks, playing tennis, and just learning new skills.

What is your main source of inspiration?

My main source of inspiration for my poem Eta was... Eta. As I sat down wallowing in my loneliness, I came to the realization of how much imagery a storm has, and figured I should write about what I observed. That’s when I decided I should connect this storm to the COVID-19 pandemic, another very large part in my life.

Do you write sporadically or regularly?

I personally don’t write very often, nor consider myself a writer. However, I do sometimes enjoy writing when a burning idea comes to mind.

What was the most difficult part of your writing process for this work?

For this work, coming up with an idea that actually motivated me to write was the most difficult part. My original objective was to write about something related to my daily life, but nothing came to mind — until school was cancelled for a particular tropical storm.

What is your ideal writing environment?

My ideal writing environment would be either in a small and cozy cafe with soft music in the background, or in the comforts of my bedroom. I also think writing is sometimes particularly nice on rainy or cold days (for added ambiance.)