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Dr. Seuss
Dr. Seuss- I had a huge assortment of children's books as a kid. The selection that I was most fond of was my Dr. Seuss collection. My mom used to read them to me when I was young. Unlike my classmates, my favorite wasn’t Green Eggs and Ham. It was One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish. -
1st Grade Journals
When I was in 1st grade we kept journals. We wrote in them every day, mostly about what we did in class, but our teacher encouraged us to write whatever we wanted. This inspired me to keep journals in my younger years. It was my form of self expression for a long time. I read my old journals sometimes and they always give me a huge sense of nostalgia. -
Where the Red Fern Grows
Where the Red Fern Grows is my favorite book. When I was in 4th grade we read this book aloud. I always volunteered to read. This book awoken my passion for reading. I’ve read Where the Red Fern Grows about 20 times. Every few years I reread it, and every time I cry. -
Notes to Santa
Letters to santa- When I was in 4th grade I found out that Santa doesn’t exist. I wrote a letter to him, addressed it to the north pole and stuck it in our mail box. I wanted a letter in return so I checked the mail every day. One day, I found my letter back in our mail box. At first I couldn’t figure out why? Was there a mistake? Did I spell “North Pole” wrong? I asked around at school and I found out the truth. -
My First Poem
When I was in 5th grade I wrote my first poem. I remember realizing that words rhymed and that I could manipulate the words and the rhymes to express my feelings and tell stories. That was the year that I kept my first poetry notebook. I didn’t realize then that poetry would be the thing that kept me afloat when it felt like I was drowning. -
Pen Pals
6th grade ukraine pen pal- When I was in 6th grade we got penpals from Ukraine. I remember another kid and I fighting over the last two penpals. One was “pretty” and the other “wasn't.” This memory reminds me how cruel and petty little kids can be. I lost in a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors and got the “not pretty one.” We exchanged one letter; I sent mine and she sent hers. I remember that her english wasn’t that good. Now, when I look back, I wish that I had kept with it. It would be amazing to -
Plagiarism??
Writing a Poem for Jeana- When I was in 7th grade, we had to write a poem for an assignment. This would be the first time that someone other than my mother would read my poetry. I wrote my poem very quickly but my best friend was having trouble. I tried to help her, to coach her along, but she wasn’t getting it. I got so frustrated that I grabbed her paper and wrote it myself. Plagiarism, I know. In 7th grade however, it didn’t seem like that big of a deal. Our teacher read the poems aloud and r -
Interlochen: Academy of the Arts
In 8th grade english we had to write poems. My teacher recognized my talent and helped me fine tune it. I ended up applying to a prestigious academy of the arts in Michigan. I sent in a portfolio of my work. I got accepted even though my advisor told me not to get my hopes up. Being accepted as a freshman almost never happened. I didn’t get to go because I didn’t receive enough financial aid. It was $47,000 a year and I got $24,000. -
Ms. Ryan
Ms. Ryan- One of my favorite teachers and people of all time was my 8th grade english teacher, Ms. Ryan. She was the teacher who made the biggest impact on me. She showed me that poetry could be something that helped me. She taught me that I could get my feelings down on paper and it would feel like I could be free of those emotions. If not for her, I don’t think that I would have gotten into poetry, and to be honest, I’m not sure how my life would have turned out. -
Fan-Fiction
Fan-fiction- When I was 15 I was introduced by my best friend to the world of fanfiction. As an avid reader and a closeted gay kid, I just wanted to read sappy romances that had two girls in it. What started out as a small hobby, turned into a full blown obsession. I read for hours on end. I got home from school and read late into the night. I read a minimum of 6 hours a day. In a matter of a couple years, my WKCE reading scores went from average for my age to college level. -
LGBT Rights Speech
LGBT rights speech- When I was in 10th grade english, we had to write and perform speeches on a topic of our choice. I chose to do my speech on LGBT+ rights. At this point I had one foot out of the metaphorical closet. I remember trying to decide if I should keep it impersonal or if I should use words like “we.” -
Notes to Vanessa
Notes to Vanessa- I met Vanessa when I was 17. She was the light in a dark time for me, and I came to realize that everything bad in my life lead me to her. I would write her notes every day; some were love letters and some were just my thoughts. She was my first muse, and she still is. -
Reading in Basic Training
Lack of reading material at Basic- When I was in basic training in Fort Jackson, South Carolina, we had very little to do with our free time. It was either clean or talk to my battle buddies. Since I hate just about everyone, cleaning was my only option. Eventually that got tiring and everything that could be cleaned was clean. We weren’t allowed to have books. I have no idea why. Probably because they didn’t want us to be happy. Anyway, I ended up reading the only thing I could read: The Bible. -
Basic Training
Writing letters in Basic- When I was in basic training the only form of communication that we had with the outside world was letters. I hadn’t ever written letters back and forth to anyone, but it soon became my life. If I wasn’t writing letters back home, I was writing in a notebook that I kept for Vanessa. I wrote in it every day and I gave it to her when I got home. I wanted her to know that not a day went by that I didn’t think about her.
