We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lauren Doriahna a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Lauren thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from a very prestigious institution of higher learning, Emory University. During my time at Emory, I despised poetry. I would occasionally write poems for fun in my dorm room and share them with my peers. However, when I enrolled in Poetry 205, “Introduction to Poetry,” my sophomore year, I was in for a challenging semester. The class, in my opinion, was difficult. I received my first D on an essay, and I was mortified. I had to learn how to read the poems from a variety of angles, and still write about what was deemed as the single proper interpretation. I eventually got better, and I passed the class. But I hated poetry. I had more English courses, which had poetry sections. I remember pulling an “all-nighter” and I was in tears trying to write a comparative essay on two poems. I didn’t write another poem for pleasure for years.

However, those courses taught me how to be analytic in how I write my poems and how to understand metaphors. It has helped me greatly as a performance poet. I am grateful for those challenging times because it has helped fuel my passion today.

Lauren, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am a writer, poet, and actor. My journey with poetry began at a very young age. I remember the first poem I memorized was called “Too Many Kids in the Tub.” It was a hilarious children’s poem, and it was the first poem I connected with beyond nursery rhymes.

I joined the magnet drama department, at the performing arts high school, Tri-Cities. The program nurtured my writing and performing abilities. I had an amazing teacher, Freddie Hendricks. I was in the program, at the same time as celebrities Kenan Thompson, and Kandi Burrus, and many others. I learned acting techniques, which I’ve incorporated into my poetry performances. I was very shy when I was in high school, but I broke out of my shell when I entered college.

My poems are often “message centered,” My goal is to inspire the audience in a positive way by provoking inquisitive thought or action. I write poems on just about every topic from current events to love poetry. I am a regular performance poet on the affluent artist circuit in Atlanta, GA. I’ve also performed in several states. I’ve hosted tons of poetry events since 2011, and I’ve enjoyed every minute of my journey. I’ve recited my poetry on the syndicated radio station V-103 FM ten times. I have been a featured poet at 50+ poetry events. I created a nonprofit for teens age, called “Teens Igniting Change Association (TICA)”. I started my poetry journey at a poetry open mic at “Magic Johnson’s Starbucks.” Since that time, I continue to shoot for the moon.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

The most rewarding part of being creative is the joy you feel from sharing your gifts with the world to empower people to become better. I am a praying woman and a Christian. I have become stronger in my spiritual journey, and I pray before I make any major decision. I have asked God to expand my territory throughout the years concerning my art. And I can honestly say GOD answers prayers. Furthermore, I have been able to give advice, sometimes unsolicited, to younger poets and I enjoy doing that as well. If I see someone who is positive that is trying to grow in their poetry., I am invigorated by sharing the mistakes that I made and telling them how to avoid those errors. Finally, it brings me great joy to get up in front of an audience and leave it all on stage and share my work. It is an invigorating feeling.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to unlearn comparing myself to others. Even though I was trained in a great acting program, I would often compare myself to my peers. I would sometimes feel less than them because I was so shy. In many ways, I am still shy, but I fight against it whenever possible. I learned early on that being shy caused me to be overlooked for so many opportunities. My mother was a great influencer in helping me overcome my shyness and insecurities. She would tell me “You don’t know what their journey is like and to concentrate on your own gifts.” She is also the one who told me to join the drama program at my high school. I also once heard someone say, “Don’t be so fixed on someone else’s light that you forget that you have your own.” My father and brother were also a positive force in helping me dig deeper into my gifts. My dad taught me how to DJ, put me in private drum lessons, and pushed me to learn new things independently. I am so grateful to my family. I believe having people around you who truly love you is beneficial to anyone’s personal success be it, family or friends.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.laurendoriahna.com
• Instagram: @lauren_doriahna
• Facebook: @Lauren Doriahna