.WRITERS.ON.WRITING..Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #54
Tess Kay
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Don’t be afraid to share your writing. The poems/stories want to be read.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
So many people. Perhaps, Amedeo Modigliani. Such a talented (and tragic) painter.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
Write whatever comes to you at the moment. You can always question (and discard) it later.
What are you currently working on (even nonwriting things)?
A novel in the Czech language. And I am always writing poems or fragments of poems and stories.
Tess Kay is a transgender woman writer, poet, and lyricist. She was born and raised in the Czech Republic and later found her home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Similarly to Minnesota’s long, cold winters and warm summers, Tess, in her writing, combines themes of loneliness and isolation with moments of hope and faith in fellow human beings.
Tess’ incredible poem, “Pride,” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal’s issue KINDLING, Vol. VIII, No. 1, Spring 2023.
Learn more about Tess on Instagram @tessdajc and Facebook @tess.dajc.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #50
Al Kelly
What is the first book that made you cry?
The first book that made me cry was probably this children’s book called Some Things go Together. It’s a book my mom used to read to me all the time! It’s a rhyming book about a child and their mom. And every stanza builds up to the line “and you with me.” It is simple and sweet and as a child growing up with a single mother, the imagery of the two main characters really hit home! Even to this day I get really emotional reading it! I still have a copy on my bookshelf and actually wrote a poem about my mom in dedication to the book, the poem is called “And You With Me.”
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
My inner writing voice is calling me to be vulnerable and courageous. She is desperate for me to take risks, she wants to shine, she wants to show me how powerful she is, she wants me to trust in her capabilities. My writing voice is really my intuition and she wants to be acknowledged, exalted, and full of joy. She wants me to know that she’s ready and she’s waiting on me.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Al! I love you! While you’re traveling, write about everything! Stop what you’re doing and write what you feel, what you see, what you think! Those moments of experiencing something for the first time are magical. They ask your brain to think in new ways. They ask your body to adjust to new terrains. They ask that your eyes remain open and that your heart remains curious. They demand your uninterrupted presence. So be present and then write it all down so you can remember over and over again!
What are you currently working on?
Currently working on a writing project that incorporates monologues and poetry into video vignettes. The collection will explore how we talk about Black women and how we define strength in reference to Black women. My hope is to eventually record the vignettes!
Al Kelly grew up in Los Angeles, California, with her mama. She lives her life in the sunshine writing poetry, singing, and acting. She has lived in a lot of cool places (Los Angeles, New York, Budapest, Chicago!) and has seen bits and pieces of the world that she thinks are dope. Throughout her life, she has continued to write poetry because it is the most magical way of communicating. She hopes to one day publish a collection of poetry and run away to a country cottage perfectly situated on a Parisian city street where she’ll write, laugh, rest, explore, make love and dance forever.
You can find Al’s poem “Inheritance” in Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 1 KINDLING. Al participated in the reading for the issue, Scorching, Speaking: A KINDLING reading, on June 1. The reading is now available on YouTube at https://youtu.be/GEygfG8v2XI. You can see more about Al on Instagram @alkellypoetry.
.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #49
Violeta Garza
What book is on the top of your to-be-read pile?
I’m reading Moriana Delgado’s Peces de pelea, and it’s so intoxicating that I can only read one poem a day, several times, before I go to bed with my palm over my sternum.
Where do you go to find out about writing submissions opportunities?
At times it’s Submittable, and other times it’s word-of-mouth through my networks. Occasionally, it’s my Muses making sure certain emails surface in my inbox out of nowhere.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
The words and the discipline will come when you think there is no reason to go on, with no one behind you. That’s when you will see that the exact opposite is actually the truth.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
You got this, baby gurl.
Violeta Garza (she/they/ella) is a Latinx poet, weaver, and artist from the Historic West Side of San Antonio, Texas. She has performed original poems and stories for Texas Public Radio, The Alamo Chapter for Human Rights, and The Curtain Up Cancer Foundation.
She is currently editing a poetry manuscript and getting their loom Josephine ready for their next tapestry—all while falling in love with their new feline soul sister, Mina Luz de la Rosa.
Find their poem “A Cringe-Worthy Slice of Wasted Energy, Denying My Queerness” in Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 1 KINDLING. Violeta’s beautiful tapestry “Doña Sedona (a gradual elevation),” wool, acrylic, and cotton, was also chosen as the cover of KINDLING. According to Violeta, “In the case of ‘Doña Sedona,’ we stared at each other for quite some time until we were on the same wavelength. The day she and I really gelled was the day we both listened to ‘The Ballrooms of Mars’ by T.Rex, and before we knew it, we were both overlooking electric landscapes.”
You can peruse their work at violetagarza.com or see more about them on Instagram @violeta.poeta. Make sure to join Violeta and other KINDLING authors for the reading (Scorching, Speaking: A KINDLING reading) June 1, 8 pm EST on Zoom.