Introducing TDOAEL

Vocal taught me everything I know about poetry. I really owe it to them for the birth of the Poetess that crawled out of my skin. I never knew that so many poetry styles existed and I have vocal to thank for educating me on the literary art. The writers on vocal alone have been the best teachers. After joining the Facebook group and sharing our thoughts together, I really got to delve into the ideas and talents of other poets. I started writing it, and loving it, and writing it and loving it, and you guessed it- and writing it.

After 100 poems stemmed from sad stories of my past gathered into a collection, I now have a book stitched together with the remnants of so many of my experiences mingled up in words. Poetry isn’t just an art, but a language.

The theme behind my book is a Latin bride. Since writing vulnerable secrets is something you’d keep in a diary, I knew this collection was going to reveal my diary. I weaved in my hispanic ethnicity in the title to simulate off of the “Diary of a Mad Black Woman” by Tyler Perry or “The Diary of a Whimpy Kid” by Jeff Kinney, so on and so forth-you get the picture. I thought it was a clever match up and cliché way to keep “ The Diary of a….” theme going.

As for the bride aesthetic, plot twist, I’m single and traumatized. Shocking. Another tortured poet, as if we don’t have enough of those already. Kind of gives off the sad Cinderella side to things. But the difference in my sad strum of strings, is there’s a come-back in the melody. To it all. For every wilted flower, every smeared mascara, every broken tiara, and every worm that ate away at my eyeballs, there’s a melody. For every thorn in the crown, bled way to my freedom.

INTRO

"The Diary of an Emo Latina" is a collection of heartfelt raw poems written in literary styles featuring acrostics, abecedarians, villanelles and haikus and more. Some rhyme and some just shine, but they all tell a story with the intent to shed light in the too often relatable circumstances, such as abandonment, loss, and love.

Some of these poems were written during dark times in my early twenties. In the end, I have come to find that it all circles back to one place of safety and familiarity, the Creator of all things.

In October, I submitted my manuscript to multiple publications. One reached out and stated they wanted to publish my work. But I turned it down as I felt the contract was not what I was willing to negotiate regarding the royalties they offered. The Diary of an Emo Latina is currently still pending to shake hands with its perfect match. 2025 will be the focus of my book.

BIO:

Natasha was coined the nickname "Sunny '' by her father as an infant and has gone by that ever since. She is a native to the Sunshine State of Florida; born and raised in St. Petersburg. She is a passionate writer that sparked at a young age. "The diary of an emo Latina" came about after a series of unexplained illnesses she endured in 2022, leading to a diagnosis of an autoimmune disorder. Natasha is from Puerto Rican and Colombian descent as both of her parents are "New Yorker Boricuas' ' raised in one of the five boroughs of New York- the Bronx.

She is a writer on vocal.media where you can find most of her work. She is currently studying modern journalism and aspires to spread more light on the dark issues of life.

Notes from the Author:

Poetry can not be written without emotion. Every human being was created to feel things. Emotions are given to us, and what we choose to do with them or how to act on them is the kicker. Whether we feel joy, witty, sad, bitter, anxious, happy, or in-love, poetry gives the permission for you to tap into that reaction and express it in a healthy manner. We all know we've said the prayer " Lord take this bitterness from me" and sometimes even over and over, yet it seems to keep making its reeking appearance, occupying a malignant home in our hearts.

In therapy, they teach you to journal. Even if it is just a word of emotion, meaningless gibberish, or uncertainty. As a Christian, this does not mean we are exempt from feeling bitterness, sadness and depression.

If at the end of the day the poem itself holds no value, it's the simple act of confronting the emotion which most people in nature, tend to bury.

The purpose of my poetry is to expose the raw of the real feelings that everyone experiences and the art of turning it to light.

A person of high significance in our lives such as a Pastor, we may hold to a high standard can easily feel or have experienced the reality of just one of these poems, and still be a fruitful dedicated leader of God by choosing light over darkness. My intention is to show you that you are not alone in your skin. The last thing we should do is beat ourselves up over not feeling good enough or always falling short even when it comes to God, especially when it comes to God. Sometimes I feel as if I am incompetent to meet His standard of living and it can be draining, but if we serve the same God then you know that is not the case.

Having an anxious brain such as I and most of the human race really needs to have an outlet for not just the things we ought to do or know to do, but for the "in the moment" attack, and trust me, I've constructed some pretty petty poetry ( say that three times fast), which I chose to leave out of this collection. So, for that I'm sorry, or you're welcome.

The importance of expression and the desire to feel heard is poetry.

Poetry is a voice.