This poem is special to me; it is connected with my own journey of living with anxiety, longing, and what it means to be in my body.
Story
Caitlin Levy
Mentee
Caitlin is a mentee with a love for poetry, arts and crafts, and puns. She can often be found geeking out about science with her friends, writing spontaneous songs, or reading by a window. She spent last summer studying slam poetry with Urban Word, and she's soon going to return as a counselor at her book club camp. Above all, she's immensely grateful for the Girls Write Now community.
Artist‘s Statement
One of my favorite quotes is from the writer Akwaeke Emezi: “Understand this if you understand nothing: it is a powerful thing to be seen.” I write because I know there’s a possibility that someone, even if just one person, will feel seen by it.
Story
Me Here, With You
These poems speak to the intimacy of a single moment with another person.
Story
From Under a Tree & the August Sun
I spent a lot of summer 2020 sitting underneath trees and trying to find the words to articulate what exactly I was feeling and not really being able to find the words. There’s usually a real feeling of restlessness that accompanies summer for me and I think it was amplified by the pandemic.
Story
Haiku Series for Erik and Lloyd Ocean
This piece is inspired by Erik Simpanen and Lloyd Mullings, both of whom I read about in The New York Times. They were married in September 2020 and changed their last names to Ocean.
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Broken Glass/Not Yet Formed
I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being myself—and what that means for me as a young woman. I wanted to write something that reflected being free in my ability to dream and imagine any life for myself as a girl in the twenty-first century.
Story
Flowers for Georgia
My dad and I love art history, and we wanted to bring to light stories of women who have carved and sculpted their place in history! There are so many inspiring women today, but also many women who may be in the shadows of history— and who should be kept alive. This work was a challenge given that I had never worked on a piece through a media platform before. The piece is a product of my learning process and the new mode of storytelling I tried, and the writing I always do!