Please help me welcome Ann Christine Tabaka as she shares her Journey with us this week on the Writer's Journey Blog. I would also like to Congratulate Christine on her more recent accomplishments. Excellent work Christine!
I had an extremely difficult childhood, and I will leave it at that. I added that statement because it may help to explain the type of poems that I now write and the tone that they convey.
In 1965 I wrote my first poem. I was more interested in visual arts and was planning on being an art major. In fact, I did not care for reading or literature at all at the time. The Vietnam War was on most of our minds with family and loved ones being drafted daily. My first poem was “The Young Soldier” about a soldier being away from home at Christmas time. Our Junior High School printed a journal every year at Christmas and everyone was offered the chance to enter a drawing, story, poem, or cartoon. For some reason, writing a poem just seemed right at that time. After that, I wrote sporadically as the feeling hit me, and so it began
I was a fine arts major in College, but I left school and worked for a chemical company. Over the course of my employment I worked my way up from lab technician to Senior Research Scientist/Organic Chemist with my own lab and my own projects. Along the way, I always kept a journal of rhymes and musings. I started writing at 14 years old. I only decided to go public with my work in early 2017 when friends encouraged me to do so. The rest is history.
We were forced to memorize poems in grammar school. I still can recite most of Trees by Joyce Kilmer. I never really did care for poetry until I started to write it myself, in my own words. Even today, I will read poetry by my poet friends, but there are very few famous poets that I have read any of their works.
When I was a teenager, I wrote about the usual angst, love, loss, etc. As I got older, I started to fall in love with nature, emotions, and words. Now I write because I have to. I believe most poets and writers will say the same – we write because we have to.
I do not have a daily routine. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea, and the light goes on and I write all night long. Other times I go days without writing while I keep busy in my gardens, with my exercise, and cooking. Whenever a thought enters my mind, I stop whatever it is that I am doing to write it down. I constantly keep a notepad and pen at hand everywhere I go. And yes. I write in pen on paper every time. The only time I ever use the computer is when I feel a poem is ready to be put into a form to submit or go into one of my books. And I never use my cell phone for writing. I am very old fashioned when it comes to creating. I guess that is because I am old.
My work ethic has changed over the years as I have aged. I used to be a real go-getter. I was passionate about everything. Now, I have learned to pick and choose what works best for me and for my family. Too many times in the past I have driven my family crazy with my anxiety over things that I thought were so important, only to find out later that they were not.
Now I try to be more easy-going about most things. Although I must admit I can still go quite bonkers when I get a bee in my bonnet about an idea that I want to work on.
I write because it is who I am and what I am. I identify with my words. I write so that my words will be out there in the world, so that they will continue to live, even after I no longer do.
BIO:
Ann Christine Tabaka was nominated for the 2017 Pushcart Prize in Poetry, has been internationally published, and won poetry awards from numerous publications. She is the author of 9 poetry books. She has recently been published in several micro-fiction anthologies and short story publications. Christine lives in Delaware, USA. She loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and three cats. She is a retired Organic Chemist, a Retired Certified Personal Trainer, and a Retired artist/illustrator. Her most recent credits are: Burningword Literary Journal; Muddy River Poetry Review; The Write Connection; Ethos Literary Journal, North of Oxford, Pomona Valley Review, Page & Spine, West Texas Literary Review, The Hungry Chimera, Sheila-Na-Gig, Foliate Oak Review, Better Than Starbucks!, The Write Launch, The Stray Branch, The McKinley Review, Fourth & Sycamore.
Recently Christine has dabbled in short stories as well. She has micro-fiction in several anthologies, and published flash fiction. Christine lives in Delaware, USA. She loves gardening and cooking. Chris lives with her husband and three cats. Her most recent credits are: CommuterLit; Spillwords; The Black Hair Press (Unravel Anthology, Apocalypse Anthology, Hate Anthology); Fantasia Divinity Publishing (Winds of Despair Anthology, Waters of Destruction Anthology, Earth of Oblivion Anthology); The Siren’s Call (drabbles); Potato Soup Journal: 10-word stories.
*(a complete list of publications is available upon request)
Website: https://annchristinetabaka.com