We were lucky to catch up with Stacy Hawkins Adams recently and have shared our conversation below.
Stacy Hawkins , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Can you talk to us about a project that’s meant a lot to you?
In October 2023 I released into the world a single-poem chapbook titled “The Pivot.'”
I penned the poem early one morning during my usual 5 a.m. writing time, when I routinely opened my laptop to work on a few chapters of the women’s fiction novel I’m writing. Instead of fleshing out one of my characters on that December 2021 morning, out poured this poem – which was deeply moving even as I wrote it, and yet startling, because in my nearly 20-year career as a nationally published author, with books released by HarperCollins, Baker Publishing Group and my own imprint, Spring Rock Publishing, I had never considered myself a poet.
Just shy of a year later, I stood onstage and recited the poem I had titled “The Pivot” at an event that I founded and hosted – “Celebrating the Power of Women’s Stories: An Inspirational Brunch with Stacy Hawkins Adams & Friends.” The poem resonated deeply with the audience of 150 women and a few men, and I received numerous requests after the event to publish it in book form. Exactly 12 months later, that wish was honored.
Since the book’s release, these words have been used to describe The Pivot by its early readers: soul stirring, profound and powerful.
“The Pivot: A Poem is absolutely wonderful!” says Kimberla Lawson Roby, a New York Times & USA Today bestselling author of women’s fiction. “It’s timely, inspiring, and a must-read for women everywhere. Stacy’s words are simply beautiful!”
While all praise for the poem warms my heart, it is especially meaningful when I hear from women about how reading the poem has encouraged them during tough seasons, which have ranged from recovering from brain surgery to surviving breast cancer or domestic violence to the loss of employment or the death of loved ones.
I penned this poem for me and for women everywhere, and I hope it will offer all who read it some motivation to keep dancing and pivoting and believing in themselves.
While I had never before considered myself anything other than an occasional reader of poetry, I’m grateful to add “poet” to my list of writing roles, and I am convinced now more than ever that poetry is indeed a balm for the soul.
Here is a link to a video where I share more about why I wrote The Pivot:
https://youtu.be/3l3WMJJYp9k?si=TjZAV9UYwuZgQtlU
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
I am a lifelong writer who loves using my novels, short stories, inspirational quotes, essays, poetry and keynote speeches to inspire others to see the best in themselves and others, and to believe that they are worth the effort it takes to discover and live out their purpose. I have written nine women’s fiction novels and three nonfiction books (through HarperCollins, Baker Publishing Group, and my own imprint, Spring Rock Publishing), and co-produced a line of inspirational note cards with actress Daphne Maxwell Reid.
Two years ago, I led aspiring authors who participated in a group I founded, the Focused Writers, through the process of publishing an anthology of personal essays titled On Womanhood; and I continue to coach individual writers how to go from idea stage to finished book. I also am curating a YouTube interview series called Celebrating the Power of Stories,™ to empower viewers and inspire them to appreciate their own journeys. These compelling conversations can be viewed at youtube.com/stacyinspires.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
The most rewarding aspect of having been a professional writer for the past 30 years has been seeing firsthand how something I’ve written as a newspaper reporter and columnist, as a novelist or as a nonfiction writer has transformed readers’ lives for the better. It truly has been an honor to be the steward of the words I’ve been given to share and to see the joy, the hope, and even the laughter and affection for some characters, that my bring.
Do you think there is something that non-creatives might struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can shed some light?
Anyone who doesn’t consider themselves a creative may not understand our need as writers, poets, musicians or artists to work in solitude. As a writer, we must make time to sit in front of a computer to create a fictional world and then bring it to life on the page (or screen).
What might seem like a “just do it” kind of task isn’t that easy for all of us! We must get in our zone, then shift ourselves into the fictional world we’ve created or into the nonfiction time period about which you’re writing. So if you see your creative friend or relative staring at a blank wall, just know that creative person IS working! And if you are the creative and want to maintain focus, put routines in place – such as watering your plants before you write or turning on your favorite background music or journaling a few minutes before you settle into your project.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.StacyHawkinsAdams.com
- Instagram: https://www.Instagram.com/StacyInspires
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StacyHawkinsAdams
- Youtube: https://www.YouTube.com/StacyInspires
Image Credits
Stacy Hawkins Adams