Hi, friends!

Did you know that April is National Poetry Month here in the USA?

Some of my favorite poets include Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson, and Rumi. I recognize that those three could not be more different, which is why I chose them as examples. Diversity is incredibly important to me when I’m consuming literature of any kind.

I would love to look into some of your favorite poets or poems this month. Please comment one! If you’re a poet yourself and you have a poetry collection available, please email me a link to your book at justine@jasteckling.com if you’d like me to read (and potentially review) it.

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I’m going to be releasing a monthly poetry newsletter that will include a themed collection of previously unpublished poetry and some of the stories behind them. It’s going to be $3.99/month to start with. The first newsletter will be released May 1st, and I’ll strive to have them out on the first of each month after that. You’ll be able to sign up here using stripe or go through my ko-fi if you’re interested in that after it is made available.

The first one is going to cover some of the poetry that I wrote when leaving toxic relationships behind (not just romantic ones, either) and discuss some of the mental health struggles that come with being in those dynamics. There are a lot of buzz words around the concept of toxicity in relationships, but very little understanding. I would like to help rectify that.

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If you haven’t yet, you can currently buy my first poetry collection, I Will Rise, a number of ways.

Divided into two sections, Darkness Rises Again and Light Drives out Darkness, this poetry collection examines the darker thoughts and feelings associated with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and chronic pain – as well as themes like love, self-love, connection, and hope.

Please visit my linktree or my published works page to find out where you’d like to buy I Will Rise.