We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Miko Reed. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Miko below.

Miko, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about when you first realized that you wanted to pursue a creative path professionally.

I started writing after a traumatic experience in my childhood. It was 1988/89, I was around 14 years old and in the middle of my 9th grade year at Hines Jr. High-in Washington DC. There was an after school creative writing program that I signed up for and the first two weeks the focus was on poetry. I wrote my very first poem called “Life”

Life
It come/it goes
People die
Families cry
Praises are given
Births are performed
Crimes are committed
But life goes on
Day after day
Nonstop
Time does not stand still

That poem kinda embodied my spirit at that time. It spoke to my truth that anyone can do anything to you and life still goes on “time does not stand still.” The poetry instructor told me that I had “a gift,” the ability to see the bigger picture and grow from it. He didn’t know my story at the time but I knew I had “sad eyes” and he told me to write from the pain-write my truth from my soul. At 14, I doubt I knew what he meant fully- but he told me I was resilient and to keep writing because the world needs to hear my voice.. So I did.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I retired as a Master Sergeant in the U.S.Army, after 24 years of service. During my time in the Military, I’ve always had an affinity towards the marginalized community-being someone that is a part of that population myself. So I asked my Sergeant Major at that time, if I could create a mentorship program in the local high schools-using poetry as a process to heal and that is where my company, Have A Voice” was birthed. So twice a week myself and another coworker would go in these inner city high schools and listen to the voices of the next generation. They were prolific, broken, hopeful and beautiful. At inception, the premise of Have A Voice was to guide teens and young adults through certain areas of their life by using their own experiences and emotions and building self efficacy- so they can envision themselves capable of doing, being and getting whatever they want for themselves.
As it progressed- It’s goal started to encompass all people within and on the outside of marginalized communities. Although, the core of Have A Voice is still focused on building platforms and spaces for individuals and organizations within the marginalized community

After I published my first book of poetry, Eggshells In Soft Black Hands,” that can be found on Amazon, I realized another goal- to help others self publish their story as well. So in workshops we discuss how to start the self publishing process and how to keep the momentum going.
We also offer curated poems for events, We offer a podcast platform to discuss projects along with individual and community events as well.
Our current project “Catch This Poetry” will be launching in April-just in time for National Poetry Month.

Just a little but about that project: Catch this poetry will offer weekly pop up open mics throughout the District and Maryland, through the month of April and highlight a different theme each week. There will be raffles for Catch This Poetry merch and classes for. “The Write Therapy,” another initiative through Have A Voice.

Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?

I mentioned early on about “the traumatic experience” that got me into writing.

*TRIGGER WARNING*

So when I was younger, I was sexually assaulted by my uncle. It ended up in a pregnancy which I almost died from. We were raised Jehovah’s Witnesses and did not believe in abortion or blood transfusions. So at that time, I had a miscarriage and lost a lot of blood and they didn’t think I would make it. Needless to say, a court intervened and they gave me plasma, which stabilized me and eventually saved my life.

I became a Poet because of the pain in my past. I became a Mentor, Victims Advocate, and Author, to help others deal with the pain in theirs. Retelling that story fortifies my strength. It reinforces the belief that “I can do anything.” That day, I thought I was dying and now some 30 plus years later, I’m not only surviving-I’m thriving. I like to say that poetry saved my life. Being able to put into words my experiences my joys, my heartaches my happiness, just really let me know that I was worthy. That I had a voice. I have a voice. I want to be that person for others. I want to help others realize that they too have a voice and the world is waiting to hear it.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

So I believe this question can be juxtaposed by unpacking non-creatives as “partners” and non-creatives as “friends”

For instance, a non creative partner will struggle to understand why us creatives need time and space, non-adjacent to our partner, to develop our art. That spiritual, private time is needed to write or brainstorm or do whatever process that gets us to that space of creation. However, if they don’t understand that process it can make the non-creative partner feel neglected or even distrustful. That’s a conversation that should probably occur in the beginning of the relationship. There’s nothing worse than a creative person feeling suffocated by their partner because of the lack of support. Conversely, I’m sure there’s nothing worse than a non-creative not understanding why their partner needs chunks of either quiet or alone time when creating…it goes both ways. Communication is key.

As far as friendships with non-creatives go, I believe that many friends don’t grasp the concept that this is a lifestyle. Period. As a matter of fact, one of my early poems, “Open Mic Pimp,” which I wrote during my U Street days, has a similar line in it. “Writing poetry is a lifestyle…” So that may mean “Miko can’t do brunch this weekend because she’s in her creating space,” or something of that nature. There’s a respect element that has to occur between both partner and friend to the creative.

I also think that many non-creatives struggle with understanding that “the marathon don’t stop” (ode to & RIH to Nipsey) And by that I mean true creatives that love and live and breathe this shit wake up and go to sleep with it on their brain. It’s a constant topic of conversation. It’s not just an open mic here and there it’s a lifestyle. It’s a never ending passion. For many, me included, it’s their Ikigai- (Japanese word for sense of purpose; reason to live).

There is also something to be said about immersing yourself in a community of creatives as well. I am a part of a community that lives and breathes this art. A good friend of mine, StefMarie Cole, created “The Artist Network” in 2022 and it has been a godsend to me as an artist. While I’m a seasoned artist and curator, I still need space to grow and thrive and that’s another thing that non-creatives may have a hard time understanding-the need to be around like minded individuals. Iron sharpens iron and sometimes, alongside the time needed to create, creatives need time with other creatives. This shouldn’t create a barrier between either partner or friend but it should be a welcomed act understood that it’s overall goal fortifies the creative-essentially making them whole, for the person and friend group, in their life.

Contact Info:

• Website: Mikoreed.com
• Instagram: @mikoreedpoetry
• Facebook: @mikoreed
• Twitter: @mikoreed
• Youtube: @mikoreedpoetry
• Other: Eggshells In Soft Black Hands- Amazon.com Pandemic- Suburban Women Amazon.com Both can be found under the name “Miko Reed Collins”