“From the age of eleven, Waverly found solace in therapeutic letter-writing, using it as an outlet for their emotions. Over time, poetry became more than just self-expression—it evolved into a form of documentation, capturing moments and emotions too intricate for prose. Their writing, along with interdisciplinary artwork, explores identity, resilience, relationships, racial heritage, and trauma, tracing their journey from girlhood to womanhood.
What began as a personal refuge has grown into a means of connection, inviting readers to share in these explorations. Poetry is no longer just a tool for self-understanding; it builds bridges between shared and disparate experiences, contributing to the broader literary and artistic landscape. Through their work, Waverly seeks to illuminate the complexities of personal and collective identity, fostering dialogue and deeper engagement with the world.”
Why I Write
I used to dream of being a writer. I made fantasy stories with my friends and invented creatures, binding the pages with card stock and pipe cleaners. Later, I turned to horror, reflecting the chaos in the world and in myself. Poetry didn’t come until therapy, when talking failed and writing became a way to survive. I wrote emotions down just to understand them. Eventually, they became too strange and complex for simple sentences and started shaping themselves into something more.
My teachers never took me seriously. They said my work was too dark, too abstract. Not clear enough. They called opacity selfish. But isn’t personal art inherently selfish? And if you create for the public, isn’t it just a product? Can art be both personal and commercial without watering itself down?
Writing is just as intimate as painting or working with clay. It is mind made visible, thought turned into form. With only 26 letters, you can build entire universes. You don’t need to know color theory or art history. You just need to know yourself a little, and the world a little more.
Writing carries the same weight as any art. It can be sensual. It can be violent. It can hold truth. Every word is a choice, every sentence a spell. The right combination can make someone feel exactly what you felt. That’s alchemy.
You can create entire worlds, people, dreams, and nightmares with just your brain and something to write with. Writing reconnects us to humanity. It’s one of our oldest tools for making sense of life.
Never stop writing. The people who say it’s pointless or unrealistic are the ones who gave up. They crush dreams because they couldn’t hold onto their own.
Make things. Say the hard thing. Be wild, dark, strange, hilarious, sincere. Be the kind of writer they can’t forget.
muah muah love you
-Waverly Vernon
Anthology of Eleos 