Tell us about yourself and what inspired you to start writing.
I know most writers say this, but I’ve wanted to be a writer for as long as I can remember. I was constantly writing short stories as a child, but I only really started getting serious about being published a couple years ago. I don’t know what inspired me to start writing poetry, but one day I decided to start a blog and write a poem a day for an entire year. Since successfully completing that year, I fell in love with writing and reading poetry more than ever.
Describe your writing process? Is there anything unique about it?
I draw inspiration from typical things–memories and past journal entries, for example. I also find inspiration in watching people, which I promise is a lot less creepy than it sounds. I like being able to look at a stranger and guess what their life is like, based on who they’re with, what they’re doing, how they interact with people and things. In the year I wrote a poem a day, I also received messages from readers of my blog who asked me to write about a specific topic, so a portion of my poems are about requested topics.
Have you published any books or do you have a desire to do so?
My first poetry anthology, It Starts Like This, is a collection of my (and my reader’s) favorite poems from my year of poetry writing every day. The book contains 61 poems that I narrowed down from 365. It begins with love and then travels through a variety of emotion: heartbreak, loss, grieving, closure, and hope. The majority of these poems come from personal experience or the experience of others, so it is my hope that many people can relate to these poems in their own way.
Do you have any favorite poets or authors?
Absolutely. My favorite novelist is Khaled Hosseini. Rupi Kaur and Amanda Lovelace are two of my favorite poets at the moment.
Do you have a favorite book of poetry or poems?
I’ll read fiction and poetry books of all kinds–I’m not picky. My favorite book of all time is A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini.
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Life After Life by Kate Atkinson.
What do you like to do when you’re not writing? Full-time job, pets, hobbies?
Currently, I’m a college student studying communications and professional writing. My time is usually divided between class/studying, reading books, and writing. However, over the next few months, I’ll be traveling abroad which I’m really looking forward to!
Are you working on a current project?Yes! I would love to publish another poetry collection, but I also have some fiction novel ideas running around my head that I would love to explore. So we’ll see what I decide to do next!
Poet Website and Profiles
Shelby Leigh’s Website
Shelby Leigh’s Amazon Profile
Shelby Leigh’s Social Media Links
Goodreads Profile
Twitter Profile
Instagram Page