The Poetteer

Hello Poetteers, I read a total of 17 books this year. 4 Young Adult.  All of them touched my heart. American Street  by Ibi Zoboi  Let Me Hear a Rhyme  by Tiffany D. Jackson  This Time Will Be Different  by Misa Sugiura  Love from A to Z  by S.K. Ali  3 Non-Fiction. They were about self-help. None of them really stood out to me. I would recommend an old favorite, Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert. 10 Poetry Collections. My top two favorites are: When You Ask Me Where I'm Going  by Jasmin Kaur Yesterday I Was the Moon  by Noor Unnahar Poetry Stats I wrote a total of 190 poems, which is an average of 16 per month. I self published two poetry books, Rising Soul and Her Durian . How did your year turn out? stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Her Durian is now published! I dedicate the book to my aunts and uncles in Malaysia for teasing me that each experience I had was a poem idea. There is one uncle that deserves special recognition for inspiring the title. He jokingly told me I should title my next book “why I don’t like durian”. I did it in a way that fits my poetry aesthetic. ( instagram ). Blurb Her Durian is about Islaih's travels to Malaysia and her memories with family. These poems will make your mouth water with the different foods and dessert. It covers the topic of growing up in a multicultural home and experiences as a Muslim American. ( goodreads ). Poem The landscape gets smaller  a whole new view of a sunset  tiny lights twinkle the coming brings excitement  the leaving brings sadness  a part of me is everywhere. Available for Purchase Amazon | Smashwords Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, My reading consists of mostly poetry. One book was  silhouette of a sun-kissed soul by Aida Abdykashova I gave it 3 stars. This is a collection of poetry about love, familial relationships and heartbreak. I liked it. I don’t favor poems on the topic of romantic love. The poems are strung with beautiful metaphors and repetition. I found gems in the identity and self-empowerment pieces. The same goes with pieces about writing and travel. It inspired me and touched my heart.  What poetry have you recently read? Stay inspired, Fida 

Hello Poetteers,  There are several ways to find themes for your poetry book. Read your old poems. Pay attention to what books inspire you. Research what’s trending right now. You can look up bestselling book lists on Amazon and other book retailers. Pick what stands out and captures your heart. Once you have an idea: group the similar themes together, compile all the poems and order them in a way that tells a story. Write any new poems to fill the gaps. Then send it off to editing. Message me if you’re ready to work with me to edit your poetry. The poetry book theme and topics can be used as categories and keywords when publishing it on distribution sites like Smashwords.  Stay inspired,  Fida Read more: Section Your Poetry Collection

Hello Poetteers, Sometimes we get stuck on an idea or want to experiment with our poetry. Prompts and poetic forms are a great way to get started. Pick a prompt word or phrase Jot down any thoughts Word association exercise  Answer guided questions  Highlight your favorite responses  Pick a poetic form Rearrange your responses to fit into the formula  Use a syllable counter  Search the dictionary and thesaurus  If you don’t like how it sounds or if it feels incomplete, finish the piece in free verse Example I’m ready to wake up and embrace the day, I’ll prepare myself a teacup, I’m ready to wake up, aware of the sounds of this moment, feeling the sun's rays, I’m ready to wake up and embrace the day. Stay inspired, Fida Read more: How to Come Up With Prompts

Hello Poetteers, In the beginning of the year I announced I would be publishing Her Durian in the fall. The day has come! I’ll be publishing it on November 5th 2019! The Blurb Her Durian is about Islaih’s travels to Malaysia. The poems will make your mouth water with the different foods, fruits and dessert. It covers everything from family and growing up in a multicultural home. Add it on Goodreads .  Sneak Peek It feels like I’m missing something  is this what being homesick feels like?  it feels like my life back home is on pause  despite it,  I’m grateful for my experience in Malaysia  it’s starting to feel like another home. More can be found on instagram .  I’m taking preorders for signed copies of my upcoming poetry book, Her Durian, for $15. Message me if you’re interested. Your purchase will help fund the book cover. Stay inspired,  Fida

Hello Poetteers, I understand having a tight budget. Exactly like you outline your book, plan your finances ahead of time. Think of the long term return on investment. Readers can be touched by your poetry and spread the word about it. Readers will also notice the mistakes. Their reviews will affect your sales. Mistakes pull the reader out of the book. People won't pick up a badly edited book. Professional editing will lead to better sales. If you can’t pay in full upfront, you can work with the poetry editor to have a payment plan. Is your poetry (book) ready to be edited? Message me if you’re interested in working with me. stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Feedback can be a hit or miss. I understand that. Sometimes your voice and style is disregarded. As an editor I will keep in mind your style and voice. The edits are suggestions not requirements. Before we get started request a sample edit to see if we are a good fit. Let me know what you’re looking for. I provide several editing rounds to work with you to get the best results you need for your poetry. For more information, check out my editing service . Email me when your poetry (book) is ready to be edited.  Stay inspired, Fida 

Hello Poetteers, Nourished My soul most nourished when I'm awake with  myself at the bookstore hanging out with my mom hearing from my friends better when I see them My soul most nourished when I pray and meditate with yoga when I finally find a moment to write in my journal When I learn about my faith learn to love. Behind the Poem I wrote this poem back in Dec 2013 for a something called Reverb13. The poem is now published in my book, Blossoming Heart . Leave a comment:  When do you feel most nourished? Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Poetry prompts are great. This weekend I wrote an experimental poem. I attempted to write a triolet. The rhyme scheme is ABaAabAB. A (first line) B (second line) a (rhymes with first line) A (repeat first line) a (rhymes with first line) b (rhymes with second line) A (repeat first line) B (repeat second line) I didn’t think I would like the poem but I do. You may remember I don’t really like rhyme end words but I do love repetition. Rhyme end words felt forced and made the piece feel lighthearted. I love the word choice I came up with. If I didn’t write the poem like this I don’t think I would have used some of those words. It fits well. Honesty   if I’m being honest I love that the sun is shining  but I felt like an antagonist being here, around you  if I’m being honest  I feel strongest  when I’m trying to capture it in writing  if I’m being honest  I love that the sun is shining but I can’t feel it o...

Hello Poetteers, It's Fida. One thing I want to do with this platform is cultivate a community of encouraging women poets who share the struggles and joys of writing vulnerability in their poetry. Amy and I collaborated on this post to talk about vulnerability. 1. What does vulnerability mean to you? Fida : Vulnerability means sharing the depths of your heart. It is showing really personal thoughts, emotions and experiences. Amy : Vulnerability is the willingness to reveal the more fragile emotions within oneself, but within the right context. In other words, it's wise to be selective in using discernment in how much you choose to reveal your vulnerability, and to whom. It's important to protect some space around your vulnerability, while at the same time be willing to share it with a certain audience. 2. How do you embrace vulnerability in life? Fida : I embrace vulnerability by showing my emotions and weaknesses and not being afraid of it. It's also be...

Hello Poetteers, Journaling can help you with your poetry. It clears your head with brainstorming and focusing on one idea. It helps you find stories and be clear in telling the stories. You will be able to see themes that come up in what you write about Be intentional on what you want to focus on. You will see what parts of the story is fluff and what evokes emotions. Lastly, but most importantly it helps you open up to being vulnerable about trauma.  Stay inspired, Fida For more information like this, join my free newsletter .

Hello Poetteers, I was asked a couple questions on what to do when you start comparing yourself to others and how to feel confident in your writing. Don’t read other people's poetry when working on your poems. Write for yourself first.  Write what you know. What you’re passionate about.  Write consistently. Practice different styles. Know the message you want to share. Remind yourself of the compliments you’ve received on your other poems. Step away from it and read it later with fresh eyes. Edit your poems (my editing service ). For more tips like this, join my free newsletter . Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, You don't feel inspired. You feel like you are in a slump. Here are five ways to get yourself inspired: Take a nature walk. Travel to a different city. Read other poets’ work. Look at your own life. Curate a list of ideas and writing prompts.  Stay inspired, Fida For more tips like this, join my free newsletter .

Hello Poetteers, Having titles on your poems can help you stay organized. I already talked about keeping track of your poems using excel. It can also help you have a checklist for your editing notes and number how you want to organize the flow of your poetry book. I write down all the poems’ titles and number it in what order I want them in. In a second column I write my editing notes for each piece. I highlight the ones that have a bigger task. As I go through each piece I mark it done. It helps me move around the poems without feeling overwhelmed. It also helps me see how long I want each section to be. How do you keep your poetry edits organized? Stay inspired, Fida Work with me on your poetry edits with the title your poems guide or my editing service.

Hello Poetteers, While writing or editing a poem there are specific questions you should ask yourself.  Struggling with POV Who are you writing about? Who are you writing this for? Struggling with Verb Tenses When did the specific situation happen? Struggling with the story What was happening? What caused it to happen? What did your surroundings look like? What were you feeling about the specific situation? What message do you want to emphasize? Lastly : Read the poem aloud. I always tell you to ask your poem “what” but you should also ask your poem “why”. You can see this play out in depth when you work with me. Are you struggling with your poetry? I have spots open for editing clients. Message me to get started. Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, Brought to Life Driving by a beautiful sight seeing the dead trees covered in snow they wait to be brought back to life I listen to prayers and praise of God my heart yearns for Him. Behind the Poem I would share here what inspired the poem but I write about the inspiration in the poem. I was with my mom after a bookstore date. We chose to drive down a scenic route. I was specifically listening to a recitation of the prayers of the last prophet. We talked about how beautiful and calming both the view and recitation was. I can tell you how I felt. I was moved to tears. Has something moved you to tears? Stay inspired, Fida

Hello Poetteers, When I first got into poetry I wrote about my cultural experiences but as I moved forward in my poetry journey I explored different themes. It feels good to come back. As I was working on this collection there was a lot of self doubt. I worry that I may be wrong or that I’m not worthy of sharing such pieces. I worry about being controversial and over stepping boundaries. I love all your guesses: Growing Soul Thriving Soul Nourishing Soul Colorful Soul The alternative title I was thinking of was ‘Rooted Soul’. But the more I thought of it I came up with a title that better fit the collection. Roots is about building a community, home and foundation while rise is about learning and growing from that foundation. From an identity crisis and being naive about my beliefs, this collection is about growing up in a multicultural and Muslim home, accepting my identity and understanding the depth of my faith.  That title is ‘Rising Soul’. This wil...