Who's that Poet?

Spend some time with Taylor Epperson

This is our second installment of Who’s that Poet? and today we’re hanging out with Taylor!

First things first, please introduce yourself and share some fun facts:

I'm Taylor! I love stories and words. My favorite writer at the moment is probably Taylor Swift. I am an avid reader and writer of romance. I have one daughter and a very anxious black lab, and a brand new kitten that keeps me very busy.

How long have you been writing poetry and what made you start?

I started writing poetry over twelve years ago in a high school English class. My great-grandmother was also a poet and I feel like in the past several years I've felt a tug toward her and toward writing poetry again.

I love the simplicity and depth that comes from poetry.

What is your writing process like?

I have no real process, if I'm being completely honest. I do feel like at times, my mind starts to think in poetry and on those occasions, I'm able to write a few at a time to go back and later polish up.

How do you make or find time to write?

I write in the evenings or early mornings or in the quiet moments of the day (which aren't a lot, since I'm a stay at home mom)

How does being a mother impact your poetry?

I haven't written a ton of poetry about motherhood, but I think the most obvious way being a mother has impacted my own poetry is that I am able to see the world more through my daughters eyes and, I often remember what it was like to be a child and that seems to help me come up with better imagery.

Being a mother and finding time to sit and write the way I want to is difficult, but I wouldn't trade it for the world. Now that my daughter is getting older, I know I won't always be writing in the margins of my day.

Do you have any other creative pursuits? How do they relate to or enhance your poetry?

I also write fiction romance novels. I feel like learning about the craft of novel writing helps me pay more attention to what I want to share in my poetry and vice versa.

I am a better writer on all accounts because I do both.

I also like to cross stitch, but I haven't done a whole lot of that lately.