.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.

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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.

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W.o.W. #53

Darah Schillinger

What word do you find yourself using most often in your writing?

I write about god a lot, even though I’m not particularly religious. I also know I write about nature in almost everything. If it’s not directly about nature it has natural imagery. I can’t escape it, and I don’t want to.

What period of your life do you find you write about most often?

Present day. I tend to write what I know, and it’s almost always what I’m feeling or inspired by in the very moment (though it’s probably because I’m young).

What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?

I can’t force myself to write. If I have an assignment and I don’t have time to wait for inspiration, I will almost always pull from my notes app. That’s where all of my ideas, good and bad, are kept.

What does your inner writing voice tell you?

“Writing is what you’re good at, but don’t stress yourself out of creativity. When you’re ready to write, I’ll be there waiting.”

Darah Schillinger is a Baltimore, Maryland, poet working toward her professional writing degree at Towson University. She has previously published poetry in the St. Mary’s literary journal, AVATAR, on the Spillwords Press website, in the Maryland Bards Poetry Review 2022, in Yellow Arrow Journal, and in the first edition of Empyrean Magazine. Darah’s first poetry chapbook, when the daffodils die, was released in July 2022 by Yellow Arrow Publishing, and her first full-length collection is currently a work in progress.

Darah’s incredible poem, “i walk home at 10:03 pm,” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal’s issue UpSpring (Vol. VII, No. 1). And for the month of October only, you can purchase a copy of when the daffodils die from the Yellow Arrow bookstore for only $12.00. Let’s celebrate its 12-month anniversary together; get your copy today at yellowarrowpublishing.com/store/daffodils-die-paperback.

Learn more about Darah on Instagram @darahschillinger or @brokewritersociety and Facebook @darah.schillinger.

.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.

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W.o.W. #52

brooklyn baggett

If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?

Editing is gold. Embrace it. Edit. Edit. Edit.

Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.

I grew up in the deep south. My grandfather was a minister. Watching the congregation hang on his every word stuck with me as a young child.

What does your inner writing voice tell you?

As Bahnu Kapil taught me, write what you burn to say.

What are you currently working on (even nonwriting things)?

I was accepted to the Sundress Academy for the Arts Summer Residency. I’ll be working on anew manuscript that explores the liminal spaces of trans experience as they manifest in all areas, specifically the internal conflict and very real consequences of being exiled from my homeland of the deep south.

brooklyn baggett (she/her) is a trans poet and artist living in New York City. She holds an MFA from Goddard College and teaches workshops on tactile poetry and rejecting binary, cishet norms in writing. Her work has appeared in Impossible Archetype, The Pitkin Review, Big Muddy, and River Styx, among others. brooklyn is dedicated to the radical act of being herself and lifting the voices of trans poets, including her own. Her work often explores liminal spaces of being trans, the complexities of sexualization, and somatic trauma. brooklyn was recently accepted to Sundress Academy for the Arts Summer Residency.

You can find brooklyn’s poem “Prayer to Trans Women” in Yellow Arrow Journal, Vol. VIII, No. 1 KINDLING. brooklyn’s chapbook, we cast shadows & other true stories (August 2023), is available now from Bottlecap Press. Learn more about brooklyn on Instagram @brooklyn_baggett and Facebook @brooklynbaggettpoet.

.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.

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W.o.W. #51

Jesenia Chávez

Describe an early experience where you learned that language has power.

Walking into kindergarten, I did not know English. I knew Spanish and I felt worried and scared. I did not know how to ask to go to the bathroom, but the teacher figured it out. This taught me the importance of language at an early age. I have two older siblings and they would make up words that were English, like “perota,” for ball in Spanish, as if adding the “r” sound made it English. Being a native Spanish speaker, playing with language, learning English, and watching my parents struggle to learn it and their beautiful accents, these experiences taught me early on the power of language.

What does your inner writing voice tell you?

It tells me to write about the powerful women in my life, the beauty in the day-to-day interactions, visions and contradictions that are all around us and inside us, too. It tells me to let it flow girl!

What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?

My Kryptonite is self-doubt and fear, as these stop me from writing. I don’t really have an interesting writing quirk—I like stories and story-type poems; these color my words and provide them with a home.

What are you currently working on?

I am working on being a kind human to the children and families I work with at my school with my teaching. I am working a poetry collection with Alegría magazine and also a pandemic-born storytelling podcast called Que Me Cuentas, a mostly Latinx storytelling podcast. I am working on my confidence and embracing the words poet, writer, and storyteller one line at a time.

Jesenia Chávez is a proud Chicanita, public school teacher, writer, poet, and storyteller. Her writing is inspired by her parents’ migration to Los Angeles from Chihuahua, Mexico, her teaching career, her sense of loss in the rapidly changing landscape of Los Angeles, and all the small moments in between when she can catch her breath and put pen to paper. She has also recently ventured into the podcasting world by cohosting Que Me Cuentas, a mostly Latinx storytelling podcast with a friend. She believes in the healing power of poetry, dancing, nature and lots of hugs. Her piece “Uprooted Roots” was included in Yellow Arrow Journal Vol. VI, No. 2, ANFRACTUOUS.

Jesenia participated in “An Exploration of Belonging: The Anfractuous Reading” last year. You can hear her read “Uprooted Roots” below and find the reading in its entirety on the Yellow Arrow YouTube channel. Learn more about Jesenia on Instagram @chabemucho and @quemecuentaspod.

.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.

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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.