Fida Islaih's Blog, page 22
May 9, 2016
Monday Blessings
Hello Poetteers,
I'm blessed for the process and progress of moving forward.
There was one morning I was able to catch the sunrise.
I love the smell of flowers and flowering trees.
I'm blessed to have worked a lot with disabled kids. There smiles make the hard work worth it. Be sure to check out #cultivate16.
It warms my heart when I get compliments on my writing from friends and strangers.
Lastly, I love finding new desserts: fried banana with honey and roasted coconut.
What made your day?
Stay inspired,
Fida
I'm blessed for the process and progress of moving forward.
There was one morning I was able to catch the sunrise.
I love the smell of flowers and flowering trees.
I'm blessed to have worked a lot with disabled kids. There smiles make the hard work worth it. Be sure to check out #cultivate16.
It warms my heart when I get compliments on my writing from friends and strangers.
Lastly, I love finding new desserts: fried banana with honey and roasted coconut.
What made your day?
Stay inspired,
Fida
May 5, 2016
Revisiting the Poetry Bucket List
Hello Poetteers,
A couple years ago I created a poetry bucket list. At the time I accomplished two of them. I published two poetry books. I also co-lead a poetry workshop at a camp I went to. I accomplished two of the ten things on my list. Today I have accomplished half of my list.
1. Since then I published two more poetry books.
2. I've done live performances at the camps I've been to.
I'm also doing some recorded pieces on SoundCloud.
3. I co-lead a workshop at one of those camps.
4. I made my first one this week and will be sharing it in the coming days.
5. If you have seen my tweets it's something I am working on.
stay inspired,
Fida
A couple years ago I created a poetry bucket list. At the time I accomplished two of them. I published two poetry books. I also co-lead a poetry workshop at a camp I went to. I accomplished two of the ten things on my list. Today I have accomplished half of my list.
1. Since then I published two more poetry books.
2. I've done live performances at the camps I've been to.
I'm also doing some recorded pieces on SoundCloud.
3. I co-lead a workshop at one of those camps.
4. I made my first one this week and will be sharing it in the coming days.
5. If you have seen my tweets it's something I am working on.
stay inspired,
Fida
May 3, 2016
Behind the Poem: Resistance
Hello Poetteers,
Resistance is a poem I wrote a year ago. I wanted it to be about Palestine but as I wrote it changed to be about me. It's a confusing poem talking about both. You may be able to see it as you read it. You'll notice that parts of it is out of place:
This is not going to be a city street
with just a memory
it will have its living moments.
With the two story lines I decided to make it two different poems. I've changed to be about a person's journey. Rereading, it is one of my favorites I've written. Since then it's been revised and published in my book, Her Treasures.
Her Treasures is available on Amazon. You can get signed copy on Etsy.
Stay inspired,
Fida
Resistance is a poem I wrote a year ago. I wanted it to be about Palestine but as I wrote it changed to be about me. It's a confusing poem talking about both. You may be able to see it as you read it. You'll notice that parts of it is out of place:
This is not going to be a city street
with just a memory
it will have its living moments.
With the two story lines I decided to make it two different poems. I've changed to be about a person's journey. Rereading, it is one of my favorites I've written. Since then it's been revised and published in my book, Her Treasures.
Her Treasures is available on Amazon. You can get signed copy on Etsy.
Stay inspired,
Fida
May 2, 2016
Monday Blessings - An Open Window
Hello Poetteers,
I'm blessed to have fun writing prompts. There are moments I have at night and morning that i'm blessed to have. I'm blessed for spontaneity. On Friday Julie gave a timed writing prompt on Instagram and I love what came from it.
stay inspired,Fida
I'm blessed to have fun writing prompts. There are moments I have at night and morning that i'm blessed to have. I'm blessed for spontaneity. On Friday Julie gave a timed writing prompt on Instagram and I love what came from it.
stay inspired,Fida
April 30, 2016
Monthly Recap - April
Hello Poetteers,
It's time for my monthly recap! I look back at my goals I set in the beginning of the year and see how well I progressed.
Reading
I read two novels, one poetry book and a non-fiction book. The poetry book is Lullabies by Lang Leav and you can find my review here. The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey is a beautifully written story about tragedy and the life that follows after it. I love how art played a role in the story. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is by far my favorite book of the year, maybe of life. My non fiction book was Girl Code by by Cara Alwill Leyba. It is an inspiring read. I'm currently reading When We Collided by Emery Lord.
Writing
Before April came around I outlined a novel to write during Camp Nano. On the first day I looked at my outline and didn't like it. There were a couple scene that excited me and I worked on them. I reoutlined my story and it was decent but it still didn't spark anything in me. I made the decision to pants the project. Yet after that first week I forgot and abandoned the project. Three days before the month ended I remembered the project and opened it up. I read what I wrote last and started writing. I was able to write a lot and more as the days continued. I'm not worried about 'winning' camp nano. I already did with my excitement and not giving up.
Personal
I started bullet journaling. You can find my thoughts here.
Goals for Next Month
flesh out camp nano project to be several short storiesread five bookskeep up with an exercise routine
stay inspired, Fida
It's time for my monthly recap! I look back at my goals I set in the beginning of the year and see how well I progressed.
Reading
I read two novels, one poetry book and a non-fiction book. The poetry book is Lullabies by Lang Leav and you can find my review here. The Sister Pact by Stacie Ramey is a beautifully written story about tragedy and the life that follows after it. I love how art played a role in the story. The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin is by far my favorite book of the year, maybe of life. My non fiction book was Girl Code by by Cara Alwill Leyba. It is an inspiring read. I'm currently reading When We Collided by Emery Lord.
Writing
Before April came around I outlined a novel to write during Camp Nano. On the first day I looked at my outline and didn't like it. There were a couple scene that excited me and I worked on them. I reoutlined my story and it was decent but it still didn't spark anything in me. I made the decision to pants the project. Yet after that first week I forgot and abandoned the project. Three days before the month ended I remembered the project and opened it up. I read what I wrote last and started writing. I was able to write a lot and more as the days continued. I'm not worried about 'winning' camp nano. I already did with my excitement and not giving up.
Personal
I started bullet journaling. You can find my thoughts here.
Goals for Next Month
flesh out camp nano project to be several short storiesread five bookskeep up with an exercise routine
stay inspired, Fida
April 29, 2016
Bullet Journal - One Month Update
Hello Poetteers,
Back in March I was researching about bullet journaling. In the simplest way bullet journaling combines planning, list making and traditional narrative entries. I have been watching BohoBerry's videos and reading blog posts that I finally decided to try it. I started out by doing the monthly habit tracker. It really helped me to see where I'm at and what I need to do.
Through her I was introduced to Tiny Ray of Sunshine. Both ladies had a gratitude log and it is by far my favorite and most inspiring spread I've seen and done. Through my own research I came to find the website, Page Flutter. In one of her blog posts she shared a narrative hack of splitting my index into two parts, one for everything else and the other for narrative entries.
The most common planning log in the bullet journal is daily logs. I liked it but it made me feel constricted in my narrative writing. I finally saw some people do weekly logs. Most people I saw do both but I didn't have that much to dos and I don't want my journal to be filled with repetitive information.
My favorite spread. Thank you for the inspiration, Page Flutter.
The big thing I love about bullet journaling is I'm not neglecting my to dos like in a traditional planner. Also, with all the technology I had moved from handwriting to typing my poems. I miss handwriting. It feels good to handwrite my poems again. You can find my poems on Instagram or check out one of my books.
Lessons Learned
Don't feel pressured to be like everyone else. Do what works for you. Don't feel pressured to decorate. Don't feel pressured to do all the collection/spread ideas you see. Do work on it everyday. Do the spreads that will help you.
Don't wait for the perfect time or supplies. Just start. Tweak as you go. Leave enough space for an index. Don't work ahead. Use one notebook. Lastly, don't use multiple notebooks unless VERY necessary.
stay inspired, Fida
Back in March I was researching about bullet journaling. In the simplest way bullet journaling combines planning, list making and traditional narrative entries. I have been watching BohoBerry's videos and reading blog posts that I finally decided to try it. I started out by doing the monthly habit tracker. It really helped me to see where I'm at and what I need to do.
Through her I was introduced to Tiny Ray of Sunshine. Both ladies had a gratitude log and it is by far my favorite and most inspiring spread I've seen and done. Through my own research I came to find the website, Page Flutter. In one of her blog posts she shared a narrative hack of splitting my index into two parts, one for everything else and the other for narrative entries.
The most common planning log in the bullet journal is daily logs. I liked it but it made me feel constricted in my narrative writing. I finally saw some people do weekly logs. Most people I saw do both but I didn't have that much to dos and I don't want my journal to be filled with repetitive information.
My favorite spread. Thank you for the inspiration, Page Flutter.The big thing I love about bullet journaling is I'm not neglecting my to dos like in a traditional planner. Also, with all the technology I had moved from handwriting to typing my poems. I miss handwriting. It feels good to handwrite my poems again. You can find my poems on Instagram or check out one of my books.
Lessons Learned
Don't feel pressured to be like everyone else. Do what works for you. Don't feel pressured to decorate. Don't feel pressured to do all the collection/spread ideas you see. Do work on it everyday. Do the spreads that will help you.
Don't wait for the perfect time or supplies. Just start. Tweak as you go. Leave enough space for an index. Don't work ahead. Use one notebook. Lastly, don't use multiple notebooks unless VERY necessary.
stay inspired, Fida
April 28, 2016
Poetry Spotlight: Lang Leav
Hello Poetteers,
In this series I'd like to highlight my favorite poets.
Lang Leav is an international best-selling author of Love & Misadventure, Lullabies and Memories. I recently finished reading her collection, Lullabies. It is filled with amazing poetry and stories. I don't have my own copy but I wanted to highlight the whole book.
My Favorite Poems
Wounded - I like that it covered the two types of wounds.
Grounded - It is a sweet poem about birds and something bigger.
Mixed Messages - It beautifully said the importance of communication.
Acceptance - it's a reminder.
Time - it holds so much truth.
Where You Can Find Her
Instagram | Website
stay inspired,
Fida
In this series I'd like to highlight my favorite poets.
Lang Leav is an international best-selling author of Love & Misadventure, Lullabies and Memories. I recently finished reading her collection, Lullabies. It is filled with amazing poetry and stories. I don't have my own copy but I wanted to highlight the whole book.
My Favorite Poems
Wounded - I like that it covered the two types of wounds.
Grounded - It is a sweet poem about birds and something bigger.
Mixed Messages - It beautifully said the importance of communication.
Acceptance - it's a reminder.
Time - it holds so much truth.
Where You Can Find Her
Instagram | Website
stay inspired,
Fida
April 20, 2016
NaPoWriMo: Kennings Poem
Hello Poetteers,
It's day 20 of NaPoWriMo! The prompt today is to write a Kennings poem.
What is a Kennings poem?
A Kenning is a two word phrase describing an object often using a metaphor. A Kennings poem is a riddle made up of several lines to describe something or someone.
An example of a Kennings poem:
Quilt
Big hug
soft kisses
cold protecter
Memory keeper
stitched love.
Stay inspired, Fida
It's day 20 of NaPoWriMo! The prompt today is to write a Kennings poem.
What is a Kennings poem?
A Kenning is a two word phrase describing an object often using a metaphor. A Kennings poem is a riddle made up of several lines to describe something or someone.
An example of a Kennings poem:
Quilt
Big hug
soft kisses
cold protecter
Memory keeper
stitched love.
Stay inspired, Fida
April 18, 2016
Monday Blessings - Sea Salt Chocolates
Hello Poetteers,
It's another week I share with you some of the blessings that has passed by me this past week.
> I recently discovered sea salt chocolates. It is an interesting & aquired taste but if you find the right kind its very delicious!
> The birds are chirping is my wake up song and as they constantly chirp through the day the cats stare out the window and get excited.
> The sunsets have been catching my eye after passing by so many days without my attention.
> I've noticed I'm on the my phone and the internet less.
> My handwriting and creative work has been on a really good flow.
stay inspired, Fida
It's another week I share with you some of the blessings that has passed by me this past week.
> I recently discovered sea salt chocolates. It is an interesting & aquired taste but if you find the right kind its very delicious!
> The birds are chirping is my wake up song and as they constantly chirp through the day the cats stare out the window and get excited.
> The sunsets have been catching my eye after passing by so many days without my attention.
> I've noticed I'm on the my phone and the internet less.
> My handwriting and creative work has been on a really good flow.
stay inspired, Fida
April 15, 2016
I Challenge You With Poetry
Hello Poetteers,
It's national poetry month and what better way than to celebrate it with an Instagram poetry challenge. I haven't found much poetry challenges on Instagram, so I thought to change that. This is my first time hosting an Instagram challenge. If you loving writing or poeming I hope you join us! This is a week long challenge that starts on Apr 16th. The prompts are up to your interpretation and creativity.
You can repost my challenge graphic on your Instagram profile for reference, or download the prompt list PDF.
Be sure to tag your poems on Instagram with #dailypoetrygram so we can all see it.Tag me (@poetfida ) so I can leave some love.
stay inspired, Fida
It's national poetry month and what better way than to celebrate it with an Instagram poetry challenge. I haven't found much poetry challenges on Instagram, so I thought to change that. This is my first time hosting an Instagram challenge. If you loving writing or poeming I hope you join us! This is a week long challenge that starts on Apr 16th. The prompts are up to your interpretation and creativity.
You can repost my challenge graphic on your Instagram profile for reference, or download the prompt list PDF.
Be sure to tag your poems on Instagram with #dailypoetrygram so we can all see it.Tag me (@poetfida ) so I can leave some love.
stay inspired, Fida
