Dear Reader,
As I began writing pieces for this self-anthology, I noticed that many of my pieces were about the memories, celebrations, and struggles I'm currently facing and have faced in the past. I also noticed that I had pieces that reflected in future hopes I have for my children and my students. These future hopes were mostly reflections I had on current social issues and helped me reflect on ways that I could make a positive impact for my family and my community.
I've organized my anthology by starting with my past memories. I did this because my past experiences have built the foundation of who I am today. I hope these chosen pieces help to tell the story of how I got where I am. Next I've included pieces of important people currently in my life, current concerns, and small moments from the past few months to help give a glimpse of how I am growing and continue to change. Lastly, I focus on the future by reading the inspirational words of current students, giving advice to my daughter, and reflecting on my values and beliefs.
This has truly been a wonderful introspective and therapeutic process for me. It has made me contemplate how my life may had been different if I had made different choices. It has made me more aware of how difficult times can have positive outcomes and made me more mindful of all the beautiful things in my life I have to be so thankful for. Furthermore, it has reminded me of my love of writing and how important it is to practice this love for myself. It has reawakened my awareness in the power of words to make a difference in the world. I've also realized the importance of how I need to write daily so that I can practice what I teach. It helps me to hone the craft of writing and will help ignite a love of writing in my students. I've become a more confident writer and have fallen in love with writing poetry. This is so surprising to me because I've always been apprehensive of it like it might attack me. I hope to continue to grow in the art of writing poetry. I love messing with the words, line breaks, and rhythm to find what sounds just right to me. I am particularly interested in how to add multi-modal elements to poetry to enhance the storytelling and emotional appeal of my pieces. I think this could be an excellent way for my future students to express their creative voices through a process that invites personal reflection that can help one to work through difficult times.
I hope you enjoy and thank you for reading!
Tonya Moore