糖心视频

South Piedmont Faculty Member Katherine Widner is now a published author.

Widner, who teaches English and Humanities, has achieved her long-held dream of publishing a book with her recently released, I Wish I Could Write. 

鈥淭his has been a goal of mine for my whole life,鈥� said Widner, who also coordinates South Piedmont鈥檚 Honors and Undergraduate Research programs.

鈥淚 was convinced as a little girl that I would become a writer one day. I still have many of the journals I kept when I was young, and on the pages, there are often comments in the margins saying, 鈥楥oming Spring 20XX,鈥� or 鈥業 will make this into a book one day!鈥� When I went to college, I think I got so caught up in living my life and learning and honing different crafts that this dream was lost amongst the hustle and bustle. Now that I鈥檝e found my way back to this goal, I think my younger self would be very proud.鈥�

I Wish I Could Write is a collection of poetry that takes its name from the titular poem and opening piece:

I Wish I Could Write

I wish I could right.

I mean,

     write.

I mean,

Find a better way to get these

Thoughts out of my mind,

Off of my skin,

Words from my lips,

I want to dip them in a pool

Of sacred thyme

Out of my mind,

Into the sky

Or on the acrid asphalt

Or the paper

Or the keyboard

Or anywhere

Other than the

Tattooed recesses of my mind.

Flipping through the pages

I know I could

But do I dare鈥�

The stage is set

The table鈥檚 bare

The thought鈥檚 not there

So it doesn鈥檛 count

And I cannot

      write

And I want to

      write

But my thoughts aren鈥檛 right

And the bones inside my flesh

Retract into my nerves

Inside out, left is right,

True is false

Shepherds delight

But I just can鈥檛 right.

I mean,

      write.

 

鈥�I Wish I Could Write is the opening piece, so it sets the stage for my writing style. It鈥檚 also the starring motif throughout the book, as the themes of the piece emerge in quiet moments, as well as in the louder, more cacophonous parts as a sort of reminder to the reader of my own anxieties as a writer, and in general, as a human being. Through this collection of poems, I am both deconstructing and reconstructing concepts of my own perceived identity, as well as confronting and challenging the concept of wanting to write but feeling unable or unworthy of writing,鈥� Widner said.

Widner, who also coordinate鈥檚 South Piedmont鈥檚 Honors and Undergraduate Research Programs, said the inspiration for her book came from a wide variety of sources, and that the book wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without the support of her South Piedmont colleagues.

鈥淭his book has been inspired by so many things, but it honestly all comes from different aspects of my life. This book contains reflective shards of my experiences with relationships, religion, trauma, identity, and politics. I draw upon both my unique and shared experiences as a woman, my inherent love and desire to write — hence, the title of the book — and also the imposter syndrome I am plagued with as both an educator and writer,鈥� she said.

鈥淚鈥檓 a very reactionary writer 鈥� so I often will be in the middle of doing something and find myself struck with an idea. From there, I go and write my thoughts down quickly in a notebook or on my phone鈥檚 notes app. When I created the Faculty Writing Group at South Piedmont with my colleagues, Dr. Steph Stripling, Charlotte Smith, John Muir, Connie Garnder, and Morganne Van Voorhis, I finally felt I was in a safe enough space to share my writing with others. With their support and respective capabilities to encourage me, I began the first steps of my journey to being published.鈥�

奥颈诲苍别谤鈥檚 I Wish I Could Write is published by Amazon Kindle Direct Publishing and is available in paperback or eBook format. Widner hopes her book will be a source of comfort and inspiration to others.

鈥淚 believe that our respective differences make us all unique, and that these differences unite us all together. So, I hope that while they are reading about me and the colorful, but sometimes challenging or disheartening aspects of my life, they find they can also see themselves and aspects of their own,鈥� she said.

鈥淯ltimately, I hope that readers finish this book and feel a sense of hope. No matter where you come from or what your story is, your trauma does not define you. You are capable of raising yourself out of the ashes of any situation, and you are so special and so loved, even when you don鈥檛 or can鈥檛 see that for yourself.鈥�

For more information, contact Widner at kwidner@spcc.edu.