Literature and writing have always been an awakening and mindful experience for me. I am not sure that any one specific literature changed, but writing, especially poetry changed how I see the world. The world of writing and reading has been a safe place for me and has been a way for me to not only escape during dark times, but to expand my knowledge beyond academic purposes. I have always been in more of a creative mind frame. I loved stories from a young age. I loved to read from a young age and to tell stories. I began reading chapter books in elementary school around third grade. I’ll never forget my first chapter book, Junie B Jones and The Stupid Smelly Bus. I read almost the entire book in a school day. I couldn’t put it down. It was from then on, I knew my world would be different. I fell in love with reading that day at a comprehensive level and even though I was too young to fully realize what literature would do for me in my future it was apparent that it would play an immense role in my view on the world.
One of the biggest reasons that I love that literature is that it is versatile. It can be incredibly academically driven and great for a wealth of knowledge but also refreshing or relaxing through a creative view. Poetry opened up that creative side that I fell in love with. It showed me a new realm of avenues to express myself, experience creativity and complexity in one piece of writing, critical thinking, and a love for yet another way that writing could pull at my heart. My first book I read that captured my interest in poetry (and young adult literature) was Crank by Ellen Hopkins (my favorite author). The way she writes her novels with free verse style as in lyric poetry. I could not put the book down not only because of the story telling being so immersive, but the writing style is what kept me hooked. I felt as if I understood it better than traditional literature.
Escaping Reality and looking within 