We recently connected with Miriam Kramer and have shared our conversation below.

Miriam, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Let’s jump to the end – what do you want to be remembered for?

I would love to be remembered for my kindness and the connections I formed with others. I think life is all about our relationships, and how we touch one another’s lives. As a poet and a person in recovery, my main goal in connecting with others is to do so with empathy and a kind heart. I share my experiences openly and honestly with the hope that it will help someone. Doing so allows me to have gratitude for most things that have happened in my life. I’ve been through significant traumas, and I know I don’t have to have gratitude for those, but I do know that I can help other people by connecting with them in genuine ways when I am open about my past. When I leave this planet, I hope people say that I loved with my whole heart and I helped people whenever was humanly possible. I hope people say that I took risks in my relationships, and while they didn’t always pay off I never stopped trying. This is the legacy I hope to build.

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 started writing poetry in elementary school, but really got interested in it in high school. I like to say that poetry saved my life. In high school, I was participating in some self-destructive behaviors and poetry was my only healthy outlet. I joined the poetry club at my school and met people I’m still connected with today. As an adult, I know that writing poetry is not the same as therapy, only therapy is therapy, but it still serves as a way for me to process events in my life. More than that now, however, it serves as a way for me to connect with people. Reading my poetry out loud is one of my favorite activities. I love going to a poetry reading and talking to people afterwards. I’ve been told that I’m the first poet to make someone cry, I’ve been told that my poetry opened the door for someone to be interested in reading more poetry. During the pandemic, I really honed in on my craft. I was able to take workshops with some of my favorite poets. I started writing the poems I was afraid to write, and those are some of my most powerful and important pieces. Now, I have a book with many of the poems that I wrote during that timeframe. It’s titled Built by Storms and it deals with themes of trauma, addiction, hope, and recovery. I don’t just write about the hard times, I write about the beautiful times. It is my goal to build my readers up as much as I take them through the dark periods. I’ve recently been asked to teach a poetry course online, and could not be more excited to do so. I’ll be teaching about writing vulnerable poems that come from the heart. I look forward to helping others share their experiences through poetry and connect with others the way I’ve been able to.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

Absolutely. My goal is to connect with and help others. I hope that my story will help other people heal and share their stories, too.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative in your experience?

The most rewarding aspect of being a poet is hearing other peoples’ experiences after a show. I love getting to know people and connecting with others on a deeper level. Sharing poetry in community with others has been one of my favorite and most rewarding ways of meeting people.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.miriadwords.com
• Instagram: miriadwords
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/miriadwords
• Twitter: miriadwords

Image Credits
Headshot and poetry reading image by Jared W. Cooper Cover art by Derrick C. Brown Typewriter by me, Miriam Kramer