About the Poet
I compose intimate verse that explores how trauma shapes memory and identity, tracing the borders where memory meets shadow, where the stark line between voice and silence is drawn. Employing strategic silences and dramatic use of white space as narrative elements, I move between past and present to examine the raw spaces between grief and healing.
This exploration of boundaries and patterns has led me to discover unexpected connections between mathematics, poetry, and emotional understanding—themes I explore in both my adult work and my developing collection of children’s poetry.
Current Work & Approach
At the intersection of experimental form and emotional truth, my poetry explores psychological territories through both traditional and innovative techniques. My work often incorporates measured patterns and imagery as tools for understanding complex family dynamics. I balance stark realism with metaphorical depth, using white space as a meaningful element of narrative.
Current projects include:
• Family Tree: A poetic exploration of generational trauma and resilience, currently under consideration at Copper Canyon Press
• Against the Storm: Verses examining survival and transformation, with selections targeted for submission to River Styx
• Counting Stars and Other Bedtime Math: A collection of children’s poetry in development, combining mathematical concepts with wonder and imagination. This project emerged from my belief that poetry’s precision and pattern-finding can help young readers make sense of their world.
Academic Journey
I will receive my BA in Creative Writing from Southern New Hampshire University in May 2025, with concentrations in poetry and fiction, along with a minor in history. My undergraduate work has centered on experimental poetic forms and the intersection of personal and historical narratives, whhile maintaining President’s List academic standing throughout my studies. This interdisciplinary approach informs my work, allowing me to weave history and universal experience into poetry through what Ocean Vuong calls “multilingual poetics” (Neumann 278)—bringing together different influences and traditions. Following graduation, I am awaiting word of acceptance in the Master’s Degree program at Southern New Hampshire University. Eventually, along with writing, I hope to teach.
Looking Forward
Research shows that 80% of poetry readers first encounter the form as children, highlighting the crucial importance of early exposure to verse (Schwartz et al.). As I prepare for graduate studies in Creative Writing, this insight has inspired me to explore two complementary paths: creating thoughtful, accessible poetry for young readers while continuing to develop my more complex work for adults. Whether writing about trauma for adult audiences or crafting verses for children, my goal remains consistent: helping readers discover how poetry can illuminate the spaces between confusion and understanding, between challenge and wonder.
I plan to eventually teach poetry at the college level while developing work that reaches across generations. My forthcoming submissions to journals like Ploughshares and River Styx, which regularly feature poetry exploring psychological territories, represent first steps toward this goal. I am also seeking representation for my full-length collections, recognizing that the mathematical patterns and precise language that help adults process trauma can also help children understand their world.
Personal Background
Years of careful observation inform my work, particularly in examining how patterns—whether in family dynamics, mathematics, or nature—can help us make sense of complex experiences. Writers like Margaret Atwood, Ocean Vuong, and Natalie Scenters-Zapico have influenced my approach to non-linear storytelling and the exploration of psychological boundaries. I write to navigate the spaces between—between who we were meant to be and who we are, between confusion and clarity, between keeping quiet and speaking out.
Works Cited
Neumann, Birgit. “Our Mother Tongue, Then, Is No Mother at All—but an Orphan: The Mother Tongue and Translation in Ocean Vuong’s on Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous.” Anglia: Zeitschrift Für Englische Philologie/Journal of English Philology, vol. 138, no. 2, Jan. 2020, pp. 277-98.
Schwartz, Lisa K., et al. “Poetry in America.” The Poetry Foundation, 11 June 2024, http://www.poetryfoundation.org/articles/141735/poetry-in-america.
cynthia loves poetry 