Guest Feature – Samantha Terrell

It gives me great delight to welcome poet, Samantha Terrell, back to Patricia’s Pen. This visit Samantha blogs about her writing journey. Without further ado, it’s over to Samantha.

My Writing Journey

Samantha Terrell

Thank you very much for your interest in my poetry. I’m honored and humbled by the gracious support of my readers and fellow writers.

To tell a bit about myself, writing has been the one hobby I’ve consistently enjoyed for as long as I can remember. I excelled at creative writing in school, but I also have a heart for social justice. So in university, I earned a Bachelor’s of Science Degree in Sociology and began working in human services. However, I never stopped writing in my free time. Merging my passions was a natural fit, which is why I say my poetry emphasizes self-awareness as a means to social awareness. Eventually, with my husband’s support, I began to pursue my writing career in earnest.

When I began submitting manuscripts over twenty years ago, finding open calls and sending off submissions was a paper process. As we all did at the time, I’d look for opportunities in magazines, mail off my work with an SASE, and wait. It ended up feeling like a lot of wasted stamps! But, of course, the internet opened up a whole new world.

Today – between access to a multitude of journals and lit mags, a streamlined online submissions process, social media, writers’ forums, and Zoom readings – there’s an abundance of resources and opportunities, creating a truly international writing community. This year I started a Featured Poets Series on my website, spotlighting some of the amazing writers I’ve come to know through these online avenues.

I’m eternally grateful for the connections I’ve made, and the many publications which have given my work a home. In 2020, I was offered my first book contract, by Potter’s Grove Press (USA). My poem ‘Just Justice’ was shortlisted for the Poets For Human Rights Awards organized by Poets Without Borders. And, my newest collection, Confronting the Elements (JC STUDIO Press), is my second collaboration with Scottish artist/publisher Jane Cornwell.

Meanwhile, social issues are a recurring theme in my work, and my family and I continue to support human rights issues at home and abroad. Proceeds from my eBooks, Our Neighbors’ Keepers (2022) and Silhouettes (2019), are donated to philanthropic endeavors including affordable housing, food security, medical access, legal aid, and the literary arts.

Thanks, too, Patricia, for this opportunity to share my journey!

About Samantha Terrell

Samantha Terrell is an internationally published poet whose books have received five-star reviews and accolades from her peers. Her poetry emphasizes self-awareness as a means to social awareness and can be found in: Dissident Voice, Dove Tales, Green Ink Poetry, In Parentheses, Misfit Magazine, Nine Cloud Journal, Paddler Press, Poetry Quarterly, Red Weather, and many other fine publications. Terrell is a wife, mother, and former manager in the nonprofit sector who writes from her home in upstate New York.

For more information about Samantha and/or to purchase her books, or read the Featured Poet Series, please visit Samantha’s website HERE.

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