Welcome back another episode of Shit That's Just
Life podcast with your favorite life coach, me,
Cecile. I want you to know when it comes to this
episode, some stories aren't said out loud, so
they're written instead. This is This Poet's
Dream by Rhonda Thompson. About your book, you
seem a little down about the process. Be I try
to do things I have enough distractions actually,
you know, you always you have TV and I have a
three -year -old And keep me distracted enough
No, but I'm gonna get back into that yeah this
poet's dream that you've written For listeners
meeting you for the first time, how do you describe
yourself beyond an author or a poet? A free -spirited
woman with four children. I believe in God, you
know, and everything of that nature. Okay, free
spirit. Free -spirited is just meaning I'm comfortable.
In my own skin. Yeah, I got I marched to the
beat of my own drum Like if I hear music in the
in the grocery store, I'm gonna dance if I like
the song you're not afraid to try I'll say Right.
I'll sing With the music like I'm not gonna just
act like the music is not on that's the type
of person I am. I always like writing. I was
always good at it. Okay So I started writing
it really in school And we would have to, they
would have what you call free write in elementary
school. And my teacher, Mr. Townsend, he always
would brag about how I wrote things. And so that
was very, that was very encouraging. He would
just, I mean, rant and rave about how well I
wrote things, my journal entries. So I started
I guess a elementary school then when I got older
I Always had journals. Okay, I will talk So I
would express myself there Would you say that
you use it to help with? depression state Writing
your journal. I mean writing your poetry out
on a full journal Yes, I will say that okay.
I guess it's a good now I think now I do have
journals, but a lot of it I put a lot of my poetry
in the phone. Okay. I guess because it's right
there and it just comes to me quickly and I have
to think about going back and writing it down.
Yeah. But I do enjoy, you know, how a pen feels
in my hand is it like a sense of relief yes it's
like i have all these things bottled up and when
i write then boom it's like oh i can breathe
now yeah it's like you're overly anxious and
then the moment you get your hands on a pen and
you can release and write it sounds like it calms
you down Yeah, it does. Okay. Where did poetry
first into your life and what did it give you
at that moment? So If you can take a second When
I was 17 and I was writing my feelings down but
didn't realize I had written a poem Until I was
done I felt accomplished and astonished It's
17 Yes, um because I was writing about my dad
About his drug addiction and About how I felt
I can't remember the words or anything, but I
do remember writing it I was like, wow, I wrote
a poem. Was it like in the moment? Yeah, it was
in the moment. It was in the moment. I didn't
get out and pursue it, no. A little bit after
that, I did some years later, but I didn't think
I was good. And one day I got mad and just ripped
up all the poems that I had. I really didn't
get back into writing until It was about 2012,
2013, I believe, because I had joined this writing
group called Ignited Pens. And I found it on
Facebook. And when I did that, and that's when
I would, we would have writing prompts. And we'd
get together, we'd write, and we'd write poems
or just... writing about our day, she'd give
us a prompt and we'd write it any way we felt.
You didn't necessarily have to be a poet or anything
of that nature. Just the fact that her... Her
saying, I believe, I'm trying to remember. Her
saying was, if you can write, you are a writer.
Something like that. So she didn't want to discourage
you on whatever level you were on. OK. So she
tried to just encourage you. Yeah, whether or
not you had been writing for a long time or a
novice. I had been writing for a long time, on
and off. Like I said, I stopped yeah, I didn't
feel like I was good at it and But the the group
say helped me And I'm trying to I can't remember
when I really like really really got serious
about it But I um, I did keep journals in 2013
Mm -hmm. I had journals and I look back at them
a lot of them. They were so dark. Mm -hmm I was
angry. Yeah, I was really depressed really suicidal
They've gotten better over the years I'm definitely
a better a better way better writer And I used
to be it's just it sounds like it's just like
a form of communication for you The way that
you want to communicate how you feeling whether
that's good bad Suicidal, you know a form of
communication versus actually Taking too many
steps towards doing things. You just want to
sounds like you had a good let out with using
poetry Well, yes, well, you know, I was finding
myself trying to figure out okay, what am I good
at? I know my mom was a artist or still is artist
and she would try to give me to you know draw
like now that's not It wasn't fitting. Yeah Like,
I find it, but that's not it. Writing, it just
feel, it feel comfortable. It feel like I belong,
you know, with writing. And so, you know, then
as I would read other people's writing, I get
inspired and I would write certain things and
just write it the way I want it to write. I write
things about Things I had been through yeah things
I survived Living conditions. Yeah having kids
how I felt about that I Write about love often.
That's my favorite subject to write about So
at what point did writing shift from a private
practice to something that you want to share
public publicly? It shifted when I joined the
group, Ignited Pens. Okay. Because then I was,
though it was intimate, it was still public,
it was still more than one person and I'm sharing
it too. Okay. And then we'd be in public spaces.
I also remember one time we had an open mic night
and other people that weren't in the group, you
know, we invited people to come and they came.
Where where are you? I'm in Kansas City, Missouri.
I never Yeah, I'm currently in the United Kingdom.
Oh Wow, okay, I'm from Kansas City, Missouri
Okay, and put you in United Kingdom Wow, that
is awesome So you just traveling I'm sorry, I
switched it but I just traveled out here. My
boyfriend is British. So he is the oh, okay.
Yeah, so Wow, he's in the United Kingdom So that's
what made me come out here to visit him and be
a little more closer to him But I was still able,
still wanted to be able to reach out to authors.
I was reaching out to authors that were local,
but I miss reaching out to just be a little more,
a lot more broader and being in the States. Yeah.
So yeah. That's what I, you know, that's why
I hope to do, you know, that's when it started
being more broad because I wanted to be heard.
Definitely. I definitely like to be heard. If
this conversation resonated with you, take a
moment and sit with it. When you're ready, check
out This Poet's Dream by Rhonda Thompson. You
can find the links in the description. If you
want to hear more conversations like this, subscribe,
leave a comment. Tell us what moment stayed with
you. With that being said, what sparked elaborate
expressions? This poem's dream, was it one moment
or did it kind of like slowly build? I started
writing the poem, okay, so I started writing
over the summer last year and I just kept writing.
Every night I'd stay up till about five in the
morning or later. Just keep writing poems, poems
that I already had written down. So I was like,
OK, well, that wouldn't sound right. So I'm editing
my own work. I wasn't using an editor because
I'm like, I don't need an editor. I know what
I want to say. I know what I want to say. I know
how I feel. And I don't want anybody to look
at my work and say, no, it's not. No, it's. everything
that I said I meant that yeah everything that
I felt I felt it so I really no disrespect to
editors but don't need one yeah yeah and I'm
like I'm an English you know major I didn't graduate
but that was my that was my major English and
creative writing And so I'm like, well, you know,
I have still have some of those books if I need
to edit anything but That's what I mean. I'm
just free -spirited because I like to just do
my own thing my own way, you know And I didn't
want nobody to tell me that I'm doing it wrong.
That's what I liked about or still like about
Poetry because there's no wrong way to do it.
Yeah, that's what you feel then you write about
that. If you felt a certain way about a flower
that you saw, you write about that. So with elaborate
expressions, actually, I was riding. I remember
that day. I don't know what day it was, but I
remember I was going to Wal -Mart. I was like
what? Wal -Mart isn't a movie. I know, but I'm
just saying like I was riding in the car and
I kept trying to figure out names. that I wanted
to use because I had basically started a writing
service and I didn't know how good that would
turn out. That was just a name I used. I liked
it so I just started using it. What does it really
represent emotionally for you? It represents
the elegance I have. It represents a woman who
was powerful, prolific, and uses her words elegantly.
Is it just like a form for you? Like I say, it
sounds like it's just like a way to communicate
without speaking to the audience. It's a way
to communicate in ways that most people don't
because not everybody can write like that. Like
most people will say, oh, that's red. No, that's
not red. Rouge or that's yeah. Yeah, you know,
yes, it's not No, it's not greatest headed blue.
That's You know, the moonlight is twinkling.
You know, it's calling out to me, you know, so
y 'all can say it in so many ways that the normal
person wouldn't even We probably wouldn't be
able to You know, we'll be all miscombobulated
before you know it so we wouldn't be able to
really clarify How you say that properly? So
I think that's very unique that you were able
to put your own your own flavor to Your poetry.
Well, actually I know that you know as you experience
life Everybody doesn't experience the same thing
because It's about, you know, maybe where you
live, your choices, life situations. I would
say it's not even just being in that different
element. I think that what makes you overly,
and I'm going to say overly, overly unique is
because not only do you have these moments, these
experiences, this journey that you're going through.
You're choosing to put it in a form of words
and then share the words. You get what I'm saying?
So you could be going through what you're going
through and just keep it to yourself and only
share with the people that you come across. But
no, you've decided to make it into a poetry.
It just depends on. It just depends on what's
going on. Yeah. because it depends on what's
going on and where I'm at. Because like for example,
like if I'm talking to a woman who has experienced
things I have. So yeah, you know, you share then.
Sometimes I just share because I have the platform
to do so. I just, you know, just talk about.
yourself and What you've gone through or what
you are trying to still Accomplish in life. Yeah,
as you never know, you know the person Maybe
they haven't gone through it, but maybe they're
going to go through it and they don't even know
it Yeah, cuz I didn't know it, you know A lot
of the things that I would Because A lot of the
things that I've gone through, like I said, I
didn't know that I would make it through it.
You know, a lot of the things that I have been
through, it seemed, in that moment, it seemed
like it was over with and my life is just over,
you know? So the fact that I'm here talking about
a book that I wrote, Just a few months ago was
just mind -boggling, really. Yeah, keep it going.
And then, you know, talking to people like right
now, you're in the United Kingdom. So that makes
me feel like, wow, I've reached the United Kingdom.
There you go. I mean, regardless if we are from
the same place, it's like, wow. I think it's
even better. My words. Even better. Yeah, my
words. have just become international. The thing
is that you got to know that, you know, God has
a plan for you. That's just first things first.
God has a plan for you. But second thing second,
I came from I'm from born and raised from Kansas
City, Missouri. So I know the trials and tribulations.
I know what it's like to come out with a project
and then just not the city, not be super receptive
of. That project you get what I'm saying just
the people in the community. So I know what it's
like to start something Be a be a little nervous
during the process Finally get it finished and
then the outcome isn't what you expected. I know
that process right? That's why I became a life
coach What I can advise you is Don't let hope
die. That's for sure secondly Pop up shops. That
sounds like a plan. Yeah, don't let hope die
Get out there do some pop -up shops. Let people
know that you have a story that you're willing
to share and Believe it or not somebody will
read the book. You know what people have I've
actually sold Well, I've sold over 30 books 32
books I was surprised It don't be don't don't
you know don't keep hoping I was okay, so in
the beginning I was yeah first time In that moment
like that was a big it was a big deal. It still
is I still yeah like this no you can't you can't
write like me not too many people can write like
you not too many people can think like you and
not too many people can articulate themselves
like you i would say that i could definitely
go toe to toe with authors who have or writing
noun authors who have died it's good that i'm
older now because now i can now i can um Now
that I've experienced things, and I write differently,
the depth of my writing, the soulfulness of my
writing, the realness, the rawness of my writing,
I can definitely, you know, I can speak to mothers,
I can speak to suicide survivors, I can speak
to rape survivors, I can speak to women who have
been... through physical you know physical abuse
did the book change direction or did it stay
true to the original version like to the original
vision that you have for that book i knew i didn't
want it stayed true to it because i knew i wanted
to use my pen name okay i know i want to use
elaborate expressions um the picture that's on
there is of a woman in the shadows. And she has
this old school microphone, you know, like the
ones that they use, like Billie Holiday would
sing with and other singers from the 30s and
40s, even 50s, the old microphones that they
used back then. So I used that. I knew that I
knew I didn't want a regular table of contents.
I knew I didn't want a regular table of contents.
Yeah. I knew I wanted to use different fonts
for my book. So you had it all laid out. You
had a full visual. Yeah, I knew that it was going
to be out the box. I knew I didn't want nobody
to tell me what to do, how to do it. I knew I
was going to just stop writing when I wanted
to. Okay. When I couldn't think of nothing else
to say. No pause. Yeah, I knew how I wanted the
introduction to be you know, so everything that
I wrote it was true to Rhonda and So for that
I'm proud of that because I Didn't ask too many
people How I should do the book. I just knew
that I needed to write the book Rhonda what did
this project acts of you emotionally? that you
didn't expect it asked of my focused rawness
depth it asked of my best okay were you ready
to give that openly i was okay it was my it was
what i felt was my best then when it actually
came out i was like wow i like this poem wait
i wrote this I like this book. I wrote this book,
you know, so. Surprised by your own work. Okay,
I like that. Yeah. Because I'm, you know, it's
just like you just sit there and you're reading
something. You're like, wait a minute. Yeah.
I wrote, okay, yeah. She said, that's all me.
Oh my gosh. Yeah. Yep. Was there a poem that
you hesitated to include because it felt too
personal when you were writing or were you just
reviewing? I didn't exclude any poems. Okay.
Everything was - I wanted and needed the truth
to be heard. Okay. Alright, I like that. So you
didn't really hold back. No, no. I know that,
you know, you can write things and, you know,
I know you got to be, you know, pretty careful
these days because you can get - You know blocked
yeah won't let you your book be sold, but I knew
that it was enough Truth in there that it would
be sold without being you know without it being
a problem Because it wasn't like it's not too
graphic. I don't do too graphic one too graphic
and one too sexual You stated if you wanted your
you wanted to be heard You know you wanted everything
to just be let out you wanted to be heard you
wanted to release How do you protect your creative
voice while still inviting readers into your
inner world? You protect your voice by being
yourself. You don't change to be popular or for
fame. If you don't believe in it, you don't create
it. Especially as an author, is that what you're
saying? Even as a person, I don't write about
what I don't believe in. That's, you know, political
or... views, you know, of that nature. So if
it's something I don't believe in, I don't write
about it. Are you always comfortable with just
exposing the parts that you're ready to expose?
Yeah, you gotta be. I mean, you just gotta do
it. You can't care because at the end of the
day, it's who you are. There are people who do
wrong things all the time and they don't care
if they do it wrong. Yeah. I'm a person that
even though I care about being right or wrong,
creativity, you know, if you're talking about,
oh, I was abused or, you know, somebody might
need to hear that or you might need to just get
it out or expose that so you can grow, so you
can heal, so you can forgive. I wrote these things
because that's how it happened. It's what I had
in me, you know, sometimes it gets to be too
much and you got to let it out. And that was
the best. Yeah, right. And you know, because
you can lash out, but if you lash out in a way
that's not productive, you're going to get in
trouble. You know, that's why people end up in
jail or, you know, doing things that they regret
doing because they couldn't get it out in a healthy,
wholesome way. Yes. I can understand why it's
better than turning to any other remedy. Safer
to just turn into drugs or talk to somebody that
isn't fully listening to you, you know? And it's
kind of like a small little synchrony for you.
You know? You feel safe. You nobody's judging
you. Nobody can tell you how to say it, you know,
and typically Yeah, I wonder just on a personal
note when it comes to writers and authors Do
you keep the phrase? It's not what you say how
you but it's how you say it Do you keep that
in mind when writing or do you kind of just release?
To the best of how you want to release You know,
are you are you cautious about what you write?
Well, okay, so Okay, so basically, when I'm telling
a story, I make sure it's mine to tell. Okay.
Like if something else, like if something happened
to somebody else, I wouldn't tell their story.
That's theirs to tell. Yeah. So I'm cautious
with that. But if I'm saying, oh, this happened
to me, am I cautious that the story is out? No,
because you did that. I might not use your name,
but you did it. You did. So yeah, I'm going to
say this person did that to me. But as far as
what they did to somebody else or putting things
out there that don't need to be. Writing it,
you don't want the drama. You want to write in
such a way where... It brings you peace and it
brings other people peace. Yeah, like for example,
they feel relieved like oh, this is good and
oh my goodness I felt that I understand it I
can or Wow, I never thought about it like that.
So y 'all would always want to you know, write
about stuff that I can love and not hate and
not You know to where I'm just having to Explain
myself. Are there specific conversations that
you hope to hear from this book from readers?
I hope that people just say things like, wow,
this woman has overcome so much. She's inspiring.
I want her autographs. Who do you imagine reading
this book while you're writing it? Who do you
imagine? Do you think of your inner child? I
imagine. Right into my younger self. Yeah and
to my kids. Okay So your inner child is what
opens you up into just wanting to express Well,
just looking back at my younger self and how
I really didn't ever Really accept myself didn't
ever like myself my lips everything that lips
skin color Just who I was you know the fact that
I was different that I was a writer and everything
creative yeah things that I didn't accept that
I accept now does it uh help I want to say help
here help heal the things you felt as a child
or is it just more of a understanding as to this
is why I felt this as a child Okay. I mean, as
far as like, it's just an acceptance. It's like,
okay, I'm older. Yeah. I got through these things.
It's just accepting it. Like, just showing myself
love that I didn't, you know, back then. But
no, as far as, you know, trying to figure it
out. Like, oh, what would you have done differently?
No, I was just, you know, just embracing myself.
It's not an easy journey for us lovely black
women. It's not an easy journey. It's something
that we all have to persevere through every day.
So as long as you make it a plan and you stay
true to yourself and do things you love to do
to express yourself, like doing your poetry,
I think you'll be just fine. You're already in
the United Kingdom. And you know what I'm saying?
You're here without being here. Things that make
you happy. me certain hobbies specifically, you
know, so if you have your hobby is writing or
Talking to the next person giving them advice
on hey, I've been there been through that You
can still get through it. I think especially
if it's done via poetry That's just the sweetest
way that you can deliver a message You know,
you can't get no nicer than that If this conversation
resonated with you Take a moment and sit with
it When you're ready, check out This Poet's Dream
by Rhonda Thompson. You can find the links in
the description. If you want to hear more conversations
like this, subscribe, leave a comment. Tell us
what moment stayed with you.