My Story Book Club discussion

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Inheritance
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Online chat with Steven Reigns
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Monica
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Feb 11, 2013 11:43AM

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Hi Friends!
Don't forget to jump in any time with questions for Steven. This is an open forum, so be respectful.
Don't forget to jump in any time with questions for Steven. This is an open forum, so be respectful.

That's interesting because I wondered about the theme of abuse. It's present in so many of the poems. Did you find it difficult to write this collection and face truths or was it a way to get it all out?

I trust the page. I don't shy away from disclosure.
However, now I'm 37 and I've come so much further in my growth and being a survivor. I'm no longer writing (or talking that much) about those events in the past. It's unfortunate it consumed so much of my childhood and I realized that if I keep talking about it, reflecting on it, that it would consume my entire adulthood too. I have no problem discussing it in forums like this but in terms of it being future material, I don't think I'll go back to it in such a strong way. I'm not denying how it shaped me but I'm interested in giving my attention to other things.
That's such a testament to the power of your journey - you confronted those things through art and along with emotionally moving on, you can creatively move on. I resonated so much with Out of Gas and Playing with the Doll. I love their sense of nostalgia, things missed. Like a dedication to a childhood you wanted. Does the idea of childhood play more in your present work?

If you met a teenager who had gone through what happened to you, what would say to them? Or what do you wish would have been said to you?


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZCwgt...
I encourage my students to write poetry that is honest, takes risks, and uses details.
I hate to put you on the spot, but do you happen to have a prompt for any aspiring teenaged poets out there?

--Write about your first time: it could be the first time you had sex, first time you kissed someone, held someone's hand, or the first time you received a love note.
Our "firsts" are such charged experiences that it's easy to tap into the energy and immediacy of it.
I also have a writing prompt that was published in Terry Wolverton's website for Writer's at Work. It can be found here: http://writersatwork.wordpress.com/20...
(As a side note Wolverton, has an amazing narrative poem in her collection Black Slip that really captures the relationship between a teen fearful of being pregnant and an outsider girl who helps her out. It's a great poem to read for anyone at any age. She's such a talented writer.)
Fantastic! I am going to post this on Facebook and see what magical verse comes our way. Hear that, y'all? Read Terry Wolverton! Thank you, Steven. You have been just grand.

I have some future events coming up. To find out more, go to: www.stevenreigns.com