Words by Amy Michelle
Poetry • Nature • Reflection
My Writing Journey
This is where my writing found its breath—where poems became more than pages, and letters began to carry what my voice could not.
Each milestone below marks a moment—not always loud, not always planned—but each one a sacred step toward who I am today.
I began writing at seventeen, during a season of profound loss. After losing my mother, I found myself in bereavement therapy, where I was gently encouraged to put my thoughts and feelings on paper.
What started as a simple act of expression became something more—a way to survive, a way to heal, and eventually, a way to live. I haven’t set the pen down since.
While writing has been part of my life for decades, this page follows my first year as a published writer—a season of courage, growth, unexpected opportunities, and learning what it means to share my words with the world.
Even after years of writing privately, it wasn’t until Spring 2025 that I found the courage to begin sharing my work.
For a long time, my poems lived quietly in journals and tucked-away folders—seen only by a trusted few.
But something shifted.
Maybe it was time. Maybe it was healing.
Maybe it was the quiet bravery that comes from surviving.
Whatever it was, I chose to stop hiding.
And then life asked me to pause again.
To completely tell the story, I had to back a little bit in time.
On October 2024, I experienced the loss of my father via suicide—a grief that quieted everything. There are seasons when the heart can hold words, and seasons when it simply needs to rest.
Much of 2025 became a year of writing through grief. I wrote every day—sometimes multiple times a day—trying to make sense of what I was carrying. In many ways, that season gave me the space to create three poetry collections I am deeply proud of.
When my father’s one-year mark came in October 2025, the weight of everything returned all at once. It felt like a flood. I shut down in many ways, including my writing.
For a time, I stepped away from writing, from sharing, from this space.
But this, too, is part of the story.
I’m finding my way back now—gently, honestly, in my own time. It feels like coming home.
Where My Words First Found Light
Woven Together
March 2025 | Women’s Retreat | Valle Crucis, NC
In the hush of the North Carolina mountains, I spent a weekend with seventy women from my church, Warehouse 242, on a deeply moving retreat. We stayed in a rustic lodge tucked away in Valle Crucis, where the pines stood tall and still, like watchful grace. The theme of our weekend was Woven Together — and that’s exactly what happened.
Our guest speaker was Dr. Barbara Peacock, a poet and author whose voice reminded me of Maya Angelou. Her powerful presence and spiritual insight opened the door for healing and reflection. One of our writing activities was to pen our autobiography — a challenge that stirred something deep in me.
Throughout the weekend, we worked on a communal loom, each woman weaving in her own piece of fabric — symbolic threads of our stories. That image stayed with me, and before long, the words of a poem began to form.
I wrote “Woven Together” to honor the beauty of our collective experience. At first, I only planned to share it with my small group. But word spread. With encouragement from Dr. Peacock and our pastor, Laurie Landry, I stood before the entire room and read my poem aloud. I was too nervous to look up — but from what I’m told, there wasn’t a dry eye in the room.
Here’s the poem, along with a few photos from that unforgettable weekend — the loom, the faces, and the spirit of what it means to be truly seen and deeply connected. From that moment, a seed that had gone dormant, suddenly sprang to life!
From that sacred weekend, a new thread joined my journey.
A few moments from that weekend…
Later, my church had the poem printed and framed. It lived in the lobby for months—something I never could have imagined when I first wrote it.
A May of Memory & Light
May 1 & May 11, 2025
Release of my Poetry Chapbooks
In the span of ten days, I released my first and second poetry chapbooks— each one anchored to a date I chose with deep intention.
On May 1st, my debut mini poetry collection, Sacred from the Shattered, was released on Amazon in honor of my adopted mom’s birthday — a woman whose steady love continues to shape who I am. This book is a reflection of resilience, of finding divinity in the aftermath, of beauty rising from brokenness.
Then, on May 11th — Mother’s Day, I released my second mini poetry collection, Every Scar, Every Light — a collection stitched from grief and grace—for anyone who has ever carried sorrow in silence. Every Scar, Every Light is a book that reminds us that the cracks in our stories are where the light gets in.
To release both books in the month of May — the month of mothers — was no accident. It was a quiet offering to the woman who shaped me, held me, and sometimes, broke me.
These books are for her.
And for every version of me who needed them, too.
BeSocial Charlotte | First Open Mic
May 2025
There are moments in a creative journey that quietly divide a life into before and after.
This was one of them.
This evening at BeSocial Charlotte marked the first time I shared spoken word aloud before a live audience — my hands trembling, my heart racing, and my story finally stepping into the light.
I read three deeply personal pieces from my collection Sacred from the Shattered, each tracing part of my journey through trauma, grief, faith, memory, and survival.
Where I Found God explores childhood longing and the unexpected places grace can appear.
Even in the Ragged Things reflects on the memory of a beloved doll named Betsy and the quiet ache loss can leave behind.
Untied Shoelaces is a poem of resilience — learning to keep walking forward, even with trembling hands.
That night reminded me that poetry is not only something written in solitude. Sometimes, it becomes a bridge between wounded hearts — a way of saying:
I survived this too.
Earth & Altar
May 2025 | Debut Literary Publication
Earth & Altar is a blog/magazine for and by Catholic and Reformed Christians of all denominations who see an expansively conceived credal orthodoxy as fully compatible with LGBTQ inclusion, gender equality, and racial justice.
These two poems marked my first official literary publication, and being welcomed by Earth & Altar was deeply meaningful to me.
This digital journal celebrates the sacred intersection of art, spirit, and liturgy—and I am honored that my work found its first home there.
You can read the published pieces below.
"Spilled in Ink and Grace" 5/8/2025
Where the Wildflowers Grow — Poetry Collection (2025)
Released June 2025
My debut poetry collection, Where the Wildflowers Grow, was released on Amazon in June 2025. This book marked my first year as a published author and stands as one of my greatest creative achievements.
It is a journey through grief, survival, and quiet reclamation. Within its pages, I trace the contours of pain, the soft strength of those who continue to grow anyway, and the return of light—even after long stretches of darkness.
This collection holds the beginning of my published voice, and the moment my writing stepped fully into the world.
Poetry Pioneer
International Poetry Contest
First Place Winner
Podcast Feature
Town Meeting TV | Vermont NC
The next milestone I reached was a big one!
In April 2025, I entered a global poetry contest through Poetry Pioneer and Arts So Wonderful. The theme was peace. My poem, Where the Quiet Things Grow, was selected as the first-place winner out of more than 800 entries.
It still feels surreal to say that.
My work was later featured on the Arts So Wonderful Podcast and aired on Town Meeting TV in Chittenden County, Vermont—something I never could have imagined when I first began writing in private.
This moment wasn’t just about recognition. It was a reminder that quiet words, written in small, unseen places, can travel farther than we expect.
I’m deeply grateful to Bruce Wilson and Candace Owens for their support, guidance, and belief in my voice. Their encouragement through Arts So Wonderful and Poetry Pioneer opened doors I didn’t even know existed.
Candace, especially, carries a vision rooted in connection and kindness—bringing writers together with a shared purpose: to create, to uplift, and to be human together.
If you’d like to explore their work, you can visit Poetry Pioneer and Arts So Wonderful through their websites
Poetry Pioneer
The Unsealed Letter Finalist
August 2025
In May 2025, I entered a writing contest hosted by The Unsealed—a powerful platform founded by Lauren Brill that helps people write and exchange open letters rooted in truth, strength, and compassion.
I submitted a piece titled “Dear Younger Me: You Will Not Stay Broken.”
This letter was deeply personal—raw, redemptive, and rooted in truth. It poured from the heart of my own healing and was written for anyone still standing in the wreckage, learning how to keep going. It became one of the most honest pieces I’ve ever shared.
In July, I received the incredible news that my letter had been chosen as a finalist.
🖋️ Read My Letter on The Unsealed
As part of the finalist celebration, I was invited to be a guest on The Unsealed’s weekly virtual show on July 9, 2025. I joined several other writers from around the country as we each read our letters, shared our hearts, and lifted one another up through conversation and feedback. The event ran almost an hour longer than usual—but only because so many of us had something to say. And honestly? That felt like a gift.
I was also asked to share a part of my adoption story on the podcast. I felt honored. I feel my story has the potential to help so many others going through something similar.
This entire experience has been a reminder of why I write—to connect, to reflect, and to remind others (and myself) that healing doesn’t silence us—it frees us. Below is a clip of the podcast I was on.
Open Mic-Charlotte Writers Club | Mugs Coffee
Charlotte, NC August 2025
By August of 2025, spoken word no longer felt quite so unfamiliar.
At an open mic hosted by the Charlotte Writers Club at Mugs Coffee, I returned to the microphone carrying new poems, new scars, and a quieter kind of courage. What once felt terrifying was slowly becoming part of my voice.
During this set, I shared three spoken word pieces drawn from themes of grief, memory, resilience, and hope — words shaped first in solitude, then spoken aloud into a room filled with listening hearts.
There is something sacred about spoken word that continues to surprise me. A poem written quietly at a desk becomes something entirely different once it is carried by breath, voice, and trembling hands.
The experience reminded me again that poetry is not only meant to be read. Sometimes it is meant to be heard — alive and unhidden.
A Place on the Shelf
Park Roads Books
Where the Wildflowers Grow
On August 18, 2025, for the first time, my words found a home on a bookstore shelf. Park Road Books, Charlotte’s beloved independent bookstore, welcomed Where the Wildflowers Grow into their poetry section.
Nestled among other local authors and voices that have shaped me, my book now waits quietly for strangers who might one day call my words their own. This moment is not just placement — it is belonging, a dream that bloomed from grief into print.
August-October 2025 — The Poetry Lounge
& The Sound of the Collective Pen
In August 2025, I participated in The Poetry Lounge at the Charlotte Book Lovers Expo — an open mic and poetry contest centered around spoken word, storytelling, and emerging voices.
I stepped up to the microphone and read my poem Sunday Serenade, marking one of my first experiences sharing my poetry publicly in a live setting.
Although I did not win the contest, the experience became the beginning of something important.
Later that year, three of my poems were selected for inclusion in The Sound of the Collective Pen: A Poetry Anthology by Emerging Voices through Book Butler Publishing Company:
Sunday Serenade
The Mirror They Threw
Blueprint of My Sky
Looking back now, this event feels like one of the first doors that quietly opened along my writing journey — a reminder that sometimes showing up matters more than winning.
A New Chapter-2026
A Quiet Season
October 2025-January 2026
Between October 2025 and January 2026, my public writing life became noticeably quieter.
After spending much of 2025 immersed in writing, publishing, and sharing my work, I found myself facing a deeper season of grief following the loss of my father in October 2024.
In many ways, the second year proved more difficult than the first.
The first year was marked by shock, numbness, and an almost relentless need to keep moving forward. Writing became both an outlet and a refuge. I poured myself into poems, projects, and publications, and for a time that helped me carry what felt impossible to hold.
But grief has a way of changing shape.
As time passed, I reached a point where I could no longer outrun it through productivity alone. I was exhausted, overwhelmed, and struggling to recognize myself. While I continued to journal and write privately, I stepped back from sharing my work publicly and allowed myself the space to simply be human.
That quieter season changed me.
It deepened my understanding of grief, healing, faith, and what it means to keep going when there are no easy answers. It also changed my writing. When I began returning to public work in 2026, I found myself drawn not only to poetry, but also to reflections, prose, personal essays, and more direct conversations about loss, resilience, and hope.
Looking back, I no longer see that season as an absence.
It was part of the journey.
Sometimes growth happens in bloom. Sometimes it happens underground.
Both matter.
Instagram
A New Space for My Writing
January 2026
In January 2026, I created an Instagram account for Words by Amy Michelle. It became a new space for me to share my writing in a different way—through short moments of poetry, reflection, photography, and visual storytelling.
As I’ve grown more comfortable sharing my work publicly, I’ve begun exploring how social media can be used not just for visibility, but for genuine connection. A way to gently tell stories, share poetry, and reach people beyond the page.
I especially love Instagram’s carousel feature—how it allows writing to unfold slowly, one image at a time. I’ve also found meaning in pairing my words with music and photography, letting sound, imagery, and language meet in a way that feels immersive and alive.
This part of my journey is still unfolding. I’m learning as I go—how to show up, how to share, and how to let my work exist in a more public rhythm without losing its quiet center.
May 2026
Revisiting Where the Wildflowers Grow
In May 2026, I revisited and revised my poetry collection, Where the Wildflowers Grow.
While many of the poems remained the same at their core, I found myself approaching the collection with new eyes after a year of growth, healing, and creative exploration. I refined wording throughout the book, redesigned portions of the cover and back matter, and reshaped certain visual elements so the collection felt more aligned with who I had become as a writer.
This revision was not about starting over—it was about returning with greater clarity.
Around this same time, Park Road Books in Charlotte, North Carolina invited me to host my first local book signing for the collection on June 20, 2026. What began as a traditional signing quickly grew into something more personal: an afternoon that would include conversation, questions, and the opportunity to read selected poems aloud.
For me, it felt less like promoting a book and more like creating space for connection through the stories that shaped it.
June 2026
Born to Shine: The Light We Create
In June 2026, I became part of the international poetry anthology Born to Shine: The Light We Create alongside a community of writers and artists from around the world.
This experience became meaningful to me in more ways than one. In addition to contributing my own poetry, I also had the opportunity to assist with portions of the editing process alongside Bruce Wilson, Director of Arts So Wonderful, and Poetry Pioneer Founder & CEO Candace R. Owens. It was my first time stepping into a collaborative editorial role, and it gave me a deeper appreciation for the care and intention involved in shaping a shared creative project.
The anthology was released worldwide through Amazon on June 2, 2026.
This chapter also carried a meaningful full-circle moment for me. The anthology partnership between Poetry Pioneer and Arts So Wonderful was the same creative collaboration that hosted the poetry contest where my poem Where the Quiet Things Grow received recognition the year before. As part of that award, I was invited to appear on Town Meeting TV in Vermont.
Now, a year later, I will once again be featured through that same broadcast connection—this time as part of Born to Shine.
What once felt distant and impossible now feels quietly woven into the continuing story of my writing life.
June 2026 –
My First Book Signing
Park Road Books | Charlotte, NC
On June 20, 2026, I had the privilege of signing copies of Where the Wildflowers Grow at Park Road Books in Charlotte.
Simply being there was a milestone in itself. Park Road Books has long been a beloved part of Charlotte's literary community, and knowing they chose to carry my book and host a signing was an incredible honor. Sitting at a table surrounded by shelves of books, meeting readers, and signing copies of my own collection felt both surreal and deeply meaningful.
What I will remember most, however, are the people.
One family stopped by my table with their two young daughters. One of the little girls looked at my book and asked, “What’s it about?” I thought for a moment and replied, “It’s poems about life.” She giggled and said, “Oh, I like life!” It was such a simple, joyful exchange, and it made me smile. The family purchased a copy, and inside I wrote:
May these words inspire and encourage you all. Always dream big. You can do anything you set your mind to.
Another moment that stayed with me was meeting a teenager who told me she hopes to publish her own poetry collection someday. She carried a notebook with her, and she reminded me so much of my younger self. We talked about writing and publishing, and I shared what I've learned along the way. It felt like a full-circle moment—one writer encouraging another at the beginning of her journey.
I was also grateful to have my sister, Lisa, by my side throughout the event. Having someone who has supported me through every stage of this journey made the day even more special.
A dear friend from church, Kathi, stopped by as well. She already owned a copy of my book, but purchased a second one. Even more touching was hearing her tell others how much she believed in my work. At one point, a woman purchased a copy simply because of Kathi’s recommendation. Moments like that remind me how powerful encouragement can be.
When I think back on the afternoon, I don’t think first about books sold. I think about conversations. I think about the little girl who likes life, the young poet carrying a notebook, the friends who showed up, and the readers who took a chance on my words.
Writing is often a solitary act. We spend countless hours alone with our thoughts, hoping our words will someday connect with someone else. This event reminded me that they can.
It was a beautiful afternoon, and one I will carry with me for a very long time.
