What I offer the community is hard to measure. I was once told that poetry doesn’t help anyone. I was told that I needed to wake up. I know when I was homeless and aimless, some of the best times I had were moments when I found relief in engaging activities, even if only for a little while. That’s what I do with my poetry: I engage audiences.

If I’m being honest, I haven’t gotten a clue. I don’t even know if I’ll receive any donations. I would hope that I continue following my heart and attending more and more open mics. That’s the thing. I’m an addict who has a decade of sobriety. I’m focusing every day on writing poetry that helps me make it day to day without falling back into the cycle of addiction. I find it most easy to stay sober when I am out in the community getting involved. I share the words that make me feel stronger with audiences who reflect back that energy I send out into the crowd, and we become stronger together. That is most likely where the money would go

I haven’t always been a positive force in society. From the age of 15 to 28, my plan was to drink myself to death. I didn’t want to make it past 30. Now that I found my purpose, which is spoken word poetry performances and public speaking I just want people to feel alive. The pandemic showed me another side of myself I didn’t know I had. Being in lockdown showed me that I do want to be in the community connecting with others regardless of how introverted I am. I thought I would spend the rest of my life as a shut-in, but when people started passing away, I realized how much of a waste it would’ve been if I didn’t at least try to go after my dreams. I always wanted to write a book, I just didn’t know I would be reading that book in front of live audiences. Donations would help me accomplish that more easily.