Finding a New Voice
Jamieson Wolf
As a writer, I've received many glowing
reviews, but I've never received reactions in person.
Sure, I've written over 60 books, had many
number one best sellers and amassed a legion of fans. They've all written to me
and told me how much they've loved my books and my stories and I'm overwhelmed
each time I receive an email or a comment on Facebook from one of them.
However, until recently, I've never been
able to talk face to face to people who've read my work. I've never had a book
release party (I've always wanted to) and have never read my work in public.
When I began writing the poems that are
contained in Talking to the Sky, I let people read them one poem at a time. I
would share them with people, foregoing my normal practice of keeping my book
under wraps until it was done.
Recently, I've had several people read one
of my poems and react very strongly. Usually it brings tears of release or they
are moved by the beauty of the poem. I had one woman who read Beautiful As You
Are who told me I had given voice to something she had no words for. Another
who read a love poem I had written that said it reminded her of when she had
fallen in love with her husband.
It's humbling to have moved people so much
and to be able to witness their reactions as they come from the heart.
It's incredible to know that they were
moved by my words. It's one thing to receive reviews or blurbs, another thing
entirely to witness this reaction first hand. It's especially gratifying to me
as I thought I would never be able to write again.
When I was struck with MS in January of
last year, I didn't think I would be able to write again. I was bedridden for a
month and when I began to get better, I was unable to write anything for
months. I finally turned to writing poetry as I could only get out a few words
at a time. I could piece that together into a poem.
I had no idea what I was doing with poetry
and doubted that I would be able to find my voice again. However, I was writing
and that was enough. More amazing than that were the reactions I received to my
poems.
They were from the heart, just like the
poems and, when I let people read them, they were immediate and deep. I hadn't
just found my voice, I had found a new one. At first, it was just a way to
write again, a way to get the words out that so badly wanted release.
I've come to realize that my poems, though
short on words from what I was used to writing, are bigger in heart, in
emotion, a moment in time caught on paper. The poems are inspired by real
conversations I've had or moments from my own life. Rather than hide behind the
power of a story, I'm out there on the page and there's nothing to hide behind.
The words were always there, waiting to be
written. It took an event that changed my life to find this new voice, one that
was there but was hidden inside of me. Now that I've found it and I'm having a
far greater impact on other peoples lives than ever before, I know that no
matter what happens I will never lose it.
I just have to keep writing, and touching
people's lives, one reader and one poem at a time.
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