ALL MY TOP STORIES IN ONE PLACE 😀💛.

Imagine how excited I was when I saw my fellow writer put all her articles in one and a light bulb came on in me! Thank you Caitlin for inspiring me.

Here is all of Caitlin's Top Stories in one place.

You see, even though I joined Vocal in 2019, and wrote a few articles, stories and poems between then and 2024, I did not start taking it seriously until this year. As soon as my intention was set to this page like a flame, I started to see results and my pieces began to be featured at Top stories. I even came second in one of the writing challenges from earlier this year below:

This totally took me by surprise and from having a catalogue of about 33 pieces, I now have over 300 and started a newsletter on Substack here:

Now, about my Top Stories:

1. JOY.

I wrote this poem a couple days after a bit of a heartbreaking experience. It was a Sunday morning. Just a few minutes after waking up I rebelled against the sadness to write this instead.

2. BACK TO LIFE.

This was originally an entry for the writing challenge, "Somewhere Between Here And There" which is actually still running here:

3. GRAVES INTO GARDENS.

Two months ago, Annie Kapur organized an unofficial writing challenge titled "Sing us the song of the century..." Here;

And this was my entry. It is one of my many stories of losing my dad which is by far the most life changing event of my existence.

4. PART 2: REALISING I MIGHT BE ON THE SPECTRUM.

This is the last part of an essay where I confessed to questioning whether I might be autistic based on recent patterns of interactions that proved repeated over the course of my life leaving me feeling confused (to say the least). It is my second top story:

5. SWEET POTATOES AND FEELINGS.

In response to Mike Singleton's April Dollar Prompt (Another unofficial writing challenge here on Vocal)

I wrote this one on a passing whim and was surprised at the outcome. This was actually my first Top story and I must confess that I absolutely believe it is by far the worst poem I have ever written.

6. PROOF OF LIFE.

There was that time when Vocal was fiercely attacked by Bots and I perceived that the writing challenge "I wrote this..." was intended to check and quell this.

Well, this was my entry which happened to be the very first by the way:

7. HOW TO SIT, HOW TO EAT, HOW TO SUFFER QUIETLY.

These are my reflections as a British-born Nigerian, suspended between two cultures and feeling like I am either too much or never quite enough.

8. THE VINEYARD AND THE STAGE.

I wrote this one from a broken heart about the death of a good man I never even knew in this life.

9. JEALOUS.

A moment of truth brought this about......when I saw an acquaintance's post about her baby, a tinge of jealousy set in and I wrote this poem.

Thank you Vocal, Thank you my fellow creators and Thank you my awesome readers for indulging me and reigniting my writing dream I foolishly allowed to sleep in the past. Because of you, I have a new confidence in myself and the things I can do simply by putting words to paper (or the screen in this case, haha).

After the last six years of breaking free from domestic abuse, an unjust immigration situation, losing my dear father and battling cancer, it would be an understatement to say that this is one of my many reasons to scream "Thank You" to God everyday and. my one of a handful of avenues where I get to show up and try again at making something of this life I am privileged to resume where others have not been as lucky as I have to.

Cheers to more inspiration, for you and me and all of us.