“The first time I read my poetry in front of an audience, I was shaking like I’d just had twelve cups of espresso. Somehow, I managed to read two of my poems, and in spite of the anxiety, I returned to the same poetry night the following month. When one of the audience members actually requested one of my poems from the previous month, I finally started believing that I’d found some direction for the first time in my life.â€
The arts have always been important to T.M. Göttl, and she started writing stories almost as soon as she learned to hold a pencil. By high school, Göttl started filling notebooks with poems and journaling on any scrap of paper she could find.
College graduation brought partial unemployment and a great big question mark about the future, driving her away from the arts, probably at a time when she needed them the most. But either by chance or fate, she eventually found herself among some inspiring people. She started writing poetry again, and finally took the chance of attending her first poetry open mic night.
“Unfortunately, too many people fear poetry because they don’t understand it, and just the word 'poetry' can conjure images of stiff, nasty, old English teachers with thick glasses. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard someone tell me, 'But I’m not a poetry person!' I want to help break apart that fear, because poetry has little or nothing to do with scholars. It has everything to do with people reaching other people.â€
You can now purchase T.M. Göttl's first full-length collection, STRETCHING THE WINDOW!
Also, please visit Deep Cleveland to read more of T.M. Göttl's poetry!
Out of the Desert by T.M. Göttl
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