This month marks the 4th Anniversary of Poetry in the Brew. Feature poet Michelle Awad joins guest host Joseph Powell up in the loft for another night of poetic transport.
I have nothing but Tennessee blood. My mother would attest to that. I spent most of my time wishing I was older, and now I spend most of my time wishing I could take that back. In high school, I was lucky enough to have a few influential teachers who took an interest in whatever budding talent I may have had and decided to run with it. It was a way for me to express things that were meaningful to me without being a total downer at parties or ruining casual conversations at the lunch table.
It was and remains to be a place where I can be serious, since I spend most of my life laughing and making light of things for the sake of my sanity, an attribute that runs in my family. There, I was fortunate to meet many professors who encouraged me, appreciated my writing, and helped me to develop it and find my voice. I was nominated by the English Department staff on multiple occasions as a candidate for the Authors and Artists Scholarship, and I was honored to win it each time that I entered.
Currently, I reside in Chattanooga where I work as the Administrative Services Manager for a company that provides background checking services to other companies. One day, I hope to break into the publishing industry. My ultimate goal is to find a position in editorial publishing where I can contribute to the world of literature in some meaningful way. I am also slowly working on an original novel that I may finish some time before death takes me.
The biggest influences on my writing include the people I have been in my past lives, the death of my grandfather, how the seasons change, the resilience of every woman that I know, and all the dogs that I have kissed, both human and canine. He has performed at a number of venues around the country including the Austin International Poetry Festival and most recently, the Tucson Festival of Books. His work has been featured in a variety of print and online journals, including the Nashville-based Calliope magazine.
