Khaya Ronkainen

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I often take stock of my creative goals. To say it’s been another rough year is an understatement. Among other things, I struggled with health. As result, I constantly felt as if I wasn’t producing much this year.

Of course, this was also in part self-criticism. Because even though I finished writing my “work-in-progress” I haven’t made any plans to publish it. Maybe in the future, I’ll talk more about how I convinced myself that this book was rubbish and not worth publishing, after all.

But thanks to Kathy Garland for the inspiration to share my small victories as I hadn’t planned to publish another post this year. So, in instead of lamenting the bad, I celebrate the good. Because as a matter of fact, I’ve achieved exactly what I set out to do; being deliberate, slow and intentional.

The following are some of my highlights, in relation to writing:

Self-care

During these past two years, self-care for me has come to mean extra vigilance, when it comes to my health. I’ve been fortunate enough to identify triggers as well as limiting my exposure to them, and the poem to that effect was published at Spillwords Press.

A Friend Asks How My Family is Doing

I’ve written about Menopause in the Time of Covid-19, before. I’m happy to have had the poem above featured at Navigating the Change, despite that it is more than just menopause. I’m also happy to be a part of another significant community; the GenX writers destigmatising menopause.

Unrest That Keep Us Marching

I don’t consider myself an activist. You know, the kind who is fearless, educated (majored in relevant studies) and shows up everyday for justice! Nonetheless, I do respond to political events, from time to time. Because until the root cause, inequality, that keeps us marching is addressed, there isn’t going to be any rest for any of us. My two poems, a response to South Africa’s latest unrest, were published at Kahalari Review.

What is Happiness?

Yes, I live in the happiest country in the world, depending on who is measuring this emotional state. All I can say, happiness remains an inside job. Anyway, many thanks again to Natalie, the Hot Goddess, for an opportunity to guest blog.

The Study of WoMan

During my nonproductive periods, I decided to revisit some of my previously published writings and rethink ways to take them off the page. WoMan is both a poem (From the Depths of Darkness) and a character I feel has been misunderstood. So, I’ve been happily collaborating with a fellow poet and illustrator, Kerry O’Connor, who is helping me bring this character to life.

October Poet in the Spotlight

I’ve always considered myself a reluctant poet… But when Laura Bruno Lilly offered me an opportunity of introducing my work to her readers, I couldn’t shy away from the spotlight. And October poet seemed fitting, all things considered. I can’t thank her enough for the amount of work she did in putting together our three-part series conversation.

Dear 2021, You Should Know

An epistle, and forthcoming publication at Spillwords Press, has helped me end the year on a good note. And many thanks to Magaly Guerrero’s prompt at Poets and Storytellers United for the inspiration.

A takeaway here, do not diminish your achievements no matter how small. In fact, if you’ve managed to get out of bed today, please celebrate this. It’s a big achievement, on its own.

Here’s to hoping for a better year ahead!