Tag: blogger

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Spotlight: Dondi Springer

Today, we continue spotlighting the winners of our 2024 poetry contest! Next up is my good brother, Dondi Springer!

D.A. Springer walks between worlds as a poet-philosopher and visionary, weaving introspective verse and transformative wisdom into a tapestry of awakening. As a creator, D.A. Springer crafts portals of possibility where personal revelation meets universal truth.

His works—from the raw thunder of “Virus Verses” to the soul-stirring Poetic Paradigm—speak to seekers and dreamers, Gen X warriors, and old souls dancing on the edge of becoming. Through poetry that pulses with both shadow and light, D A. Springer guides readers to reclaim their power and voice their own declarations of change.

His winning poem, Echoes of Joy, came in at number three and will be recited during his live interview this afternoon!

Find his illuminated words across these digital platforms:

Instagram/Threads: @Napalmjax

Facebook: @DSpringer76

YouTube: @Napalmjax

Support Him Here:

https://shop.beacons.ai/daspringer/d6705f5b-e196-4376-b11d-c3e97c30c88e

Stay glued for details on Yecheilyah’s 8th Annual Poetry Contest 2025, including this year’s theme!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2024

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

A Historical Moment: Meeting Michelle

Michelle Petties

I am no longer surprised to find purpose in the people I meet. I am being guided to certain people for a reason. When I complimented Michelle on her Afro at the She Wins Conference last year, I had no idea she had such a rich backstory. When I did a video about the real Great Debaters, I didn’t know Michelle had also attended Wiley College!

Here are some fun facts I learned from her essay: “GROWING UP ON THE ‘COLORED’ SIDE OF THE BORDER:

  • Meet Michelle Petties, whose grandmother and aunt attended Wiley College, a historically Black college depicted in the 2007 film The Great Debaters, starring Denzel Washington. If you follow me on TikTok, I made a video about the real debaters that you can find under my Must Watch playlist. Michelle also attended Wiley in 1974.
Photo Credit: Michelle Petties | The author’s childhood home at 1208 E. Travis St., formerly known as Border Street.
  • Michelle was born and raised in Marshall, Texas, on Border Street (now Travis St), which served as a literal line of separation between the Black community situated south of the street and the white one on the north.
Photo Credit: Michelle Petties | The author (third from right, second row) at Sam Houston Elementary School in 1965.
  • In the fall of 1965, Michelle became one of the first Black students to integrate Sam Houston Elementary School.
  • A library worker denied her entrance because she was not a “mammal.” “If that sounds strange to you,” said Michelle, “imagine how it sounded to a young Black girl growing up at a time when segregation was still very much a part of the culture.”
Photo Credit: Michelle Petties | George Foreman, perhaps Marshall, Texas’s most famous son, meets President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968. LBJ’s wife, Lady Bird Johnson, was born on a former plantation in Karnack, Texas, which is considered the Greater Marshall area.
  • She used to play with George Foreman as a child.

You Can Read Michelle’s Full Essay Here!

Why Self-Publishing Poetry is Different From Other Books

Publishing a poetry collection differs from publishing a novel or nonfiction book. One main reason is the editing; poets must pay special attention to this.

When looking for an editor for our poetry collections, we must ensure they know how poems work. Some poems, for example, are not intended to be grammatically correct. They might include lowercase letters where they would not normally be and play with conventions of spelling, layout, and typography.

An editor of poetry must be a critical reader and familiar with current trends in poetry publication. They must work closely with the poet to understand what is deliberate and what is not. A good editor will point out grammatical errors and ask if they are intentional—frequently, they will be, but it is a good editor’s job to ask.

Poetry editors must be willing to respect the intention of the poet. They must exercise restraint in those areas where they think a piece should be corrected when the poet did not intend it to be. It is also helpful to know whether the poem respects the conventions of the form or deviates deliberately. For instance, if there is a misstep in the rhyme scheme, it should be flagged in case the poet wants to adjust it.

In short, authors who self-publish poetry must find editors who are knowledgeable about how poems work. It would be even better if the editor were also a poet.

If you enjoyed this post, check out our archive on Indie Author Basics, designed to guide you to self-publish your books with excellence.

Stay Warm, Good People!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Spotlight: Trevita Johnson

Today, we are kicking off our spotlight series of the winners of our 2024 poetry contest!

First up is our first place winner, Trevita Johnson!

I have known Trevita for years but did not know she was a poet! Her poem “Her Journey to Joy” inspired and spoke to our hearts. It stayed true to the theme and was easy to understand and digest.

You’ll hear her recite it live this afternoon (1/21/2025, 11:30a) on Instagram Live! You will also read her piece, but details will be provided later. We’ve got something special up our sleeves for that!

About Mrs. Johnson:

Trevita Johnson lives in North Carolina with her husband of almost 24 years, Austaniel Johnson. They have three young men, ages 25, 21, and 19. Johnson graduated from East Carolina University and is a former middle school math and science teacher of fifteen years. She has traveled along her creative path for several years, starting her UrNaturalLocs brand by doing natural hair, locs, and braids. She started creating and selling natural hair clothing, expanding her brand name to UrNaturalLocsGear.

UrNaturalSkinTreatz

Trevita currently sells homemade soaps, sugar scrubs, head-to-toe body wash, and body butter online through her Etsy shop, UrNaturalSkinTreatz. She has been creating skincare under the name KardaYah’s Kreations since 2017 but rebranded in 2020 as UrNaturalSkinTreatz. She uses natural ingredients such as shea butter, coconut, and avocado oil to create healthy skincare.

Trevita enjoys journaling, reading, listening to audiobooks, traveling, and spending time with her grandbaby.

IG/TikTok: UrNaturalSkinTreatz

FB-Trevita Johnson

Website: urnaturalskintreatz.etsy.com

Stay glued for details on Yecheilyah’s 8th Annual Poetry Contest 2025, including this year’s theme!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2024

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest: Finalists Revealed

Introducing Our 2024 Poetry Contest Finalists and Prize Package Winners!

I am so incredibly proud of this year’s winners! Please help me congratulate these fantastic poets, who are now winners of Yecheilyah’s Annual Poetry Contest, Season 7!

Her Journey to Joy
by Trevita Johnson

Hope Moon, Joyful Skies
by Arsenio M. Sorrell, aka Deep Thought the Lyricist

Echoes of Joy
by D.A. Springer

Winners, please look out for an email in the next 24-48 hours with details on how to secure your prized package and the next steps for your interviews.

Each of these poets will receive an individual spotlight on the blog and an interview feature. We are eager for you to hear their winning poems and the inspiration behind their pieces.

Please head over to Instagram and show them some love. The post will go live on my page shortly. View and follow @yecheilyah.

Cool Fun Fact: When we announced the semi-finalists, I didn’t know who the three winners would be. At least not consciously. It wasn’t until we went over the poems with a fine-toothed comb and arranged them that I realized I had placed the winning poets in almost the exact order of the poems we loved most!

Stay glued for details on Yecheilyah’s 8th Annual Poetry Contest 2025 including this year’s theme!

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2024

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 7th Annual Poetry Contest: Semi-Finalists

There was not a single poem I did not personally enjoy.

Everyone contributed something distinct while also teaching us something.

The variety and ingenuity, from visual to audio, were incredible. I appreciate how everyone put their best foot forward. I thank you for participating and sharing your heart with us!

Without further delay, the poets who have made it into the semi-finals and will go on for a chance to win the cash prizes are as follows (in no particular order):

Her Journey to Joy
by Trevita Johnson

Hope Moon, Joyful Skies
by Arsenio M. Sorrell, aka Deep Thought the Lyricist

Joy in the Morning
by Lilanie, aka Kerece Williams

Echoes of Joy
by D.A. Springer

Parable of the Daughter
by Chérie J. Grant

Only three of these five will advance to the finals! That’s right. You are looking at your winners and don’t know it. And nope, they are not in order of placement for all you smart people, tee hee.

The ultimate announcement will be made on Thursday, January 2, 2025! Which of these dope poets made it to the top 3? Stick around and find out!

We pushed it back a day in case some of you return from travel.

As with each year, you can read the winning poems on this blog. We are also interviewing them live, so you don’t want to miss that!

In the meantime, please show these poets some love when you see the post, which goes live on my page shortly. View and follow @yecheilyah.

Be Sure to Visit Us on the Web and Stick Around for Details on Next Year’s Contest Theme and Dates!

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023

Poetry Contest Gear and Thank You!

Thank you to everyone who participated in the contest this year. We will announce the semi-finalists on Friday, December 20, 2024.

In the meantime, the contest hoodies and t-shirts are now available on the website! Your support helps us keep this contest going year after year and keep it free to enter!

They are comfy, like a warm hug, and come in black and dark chocolate colors, with more to come. Sizes go up to 3XL.

The website also has a donation page if you are not interested in the gear but want to help.

SHOP YOUR POETRY CONTEST GEAR HERE

Support with a Donation Here

Hope to see you soon!

Yecheilyah’s 1st Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2017

Yecheilyah’s 2nd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2018

Yecheilyah’s 3rd Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2019

Yecheilyah’s 4th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2021

Yecheilyah’s 5th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2022

Yecheilyah’s 6th Annual Poetry Contest Winners, 2023